150 women empowered to launch entrepreneurship

Islamabad : The US Embassy launched the fourth Pakistan cohort of its “Academy for Women Entrepreneurs” (AWE) program at the Lincoln Reading Lounge at the National Library of Pakistan.

Bettina Malone, Minister Counsellor for Public Affairs, launched this year’s cohort of the AWE which is set to empower 150 participants from Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi.

The AWE programme is an entrepreneurship program that includes peer-to-peer learning and local mentorship, to help participants build their own businesses and seek innovative scaling opportunities. This worldwide US Department of State training program supports women across the globe in building their own businesses, harnessing the power of public-private sponsors, local partnerships, and US Exchange Alumni networks to help their businesses grow. AWE is driving prosperity in communities in more than 100 countries. In Pakistan this programme is empowering women to realize their economic potential and increase prosperity for all.

During her remarks, Malone spoke about the need to support women entrepreneurs noting, “When women are successful, communities prosper, and countries thrive.” With mentoring and guidance from established Pakistani entrepreneurs, the 150 participants in AWE 2024 will undertake a rigorous three-month online training programme developed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and American natural resource company Freeport McMoran.

Through AWE, participants learn core business skills and meet weekly to discuss what they are learning with experienced local mentors and US experts. AWE is designed to cultivate entrepreneurial know-how, help women entrepreneurs connect with funding opportunities, enhance opportunities for business expansion, and increase the likelihood of entrepreneurial success.