Businesswomen explore ways to counter socio-economic barriers

Rawalpindi :A large number of women entrepreneurs from across Pakistan, as well as presidents of women chambers, have converged in town for the third All-Pakistan Women Chambers Presidents’ Summit (APWCPS) where they will explore and develop best practices in capacity-building to counter the socio-economic barriers that women in the industry often face.

Organized by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), the Summit began on Monday with the PM’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Sania Nishtar as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony. Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Special Assistant to the PM for Overseas Pakistanis and HRD was also present at the occasion.

The summit aims to provide a platform for Pakistani businesswomen to discuss challenges and opportunities around economic and commerce activities in the country. Through this discourse, women representatives in business will explore and develop best practices in capacity building to counter the social and economic barriers that they face in the industry.

Addressing the summit, Dr. Sania stated, “The Prime Minister lays special emphasis on meaningful and equal participation of women in Pakistan’s economy. He strongly believes that we will not achieve sustainable development, if we don’t realize the full potential of half of our citizens. The entire Ehsaas agenda aims to uplift women and there are a number of programmes and actions through which that will be enabled,” she elaborated on these in detail, further adding, “Ehsaas aims to mainstream the role of private sector in social protection and welfare and is creating appropriate policy and institutional arrangements for that purpose.”

Dr. Sania invited Presidents of all Women Chambers in town to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat for a consultation on exploring collaborations under Ehsaas for ensuring effective participation of women in the economy.

Zulfiqar Bukhari said, “Women constitute 53% of Pakistan’s population. Stronger women make a much stronger nation. The more we integrate women in mainstream businesses and SMEs through formal employment, the more progress our nation can make. We must also appreciate the achievements of Pakistani women and their contributions towards the country in every field.”

Women entrepreneurs play a significant role in the economic development of any country and their role in Pakistan has assumed a high degree of importance for enhancing internal trades and boosting exports and resultant economic activities. The APWCP Summit will conclude today (December 3).