Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has stepped up its engagement with women chambers of commerce and industry across Pakistan as part of its ongoing efforts to promote women entrepreneurship, strengthen micro-enterprises and improve access to business support services.
SMEDA reaches out to women chambers across Pakistan
LAHORE, Sep 24 (APP): Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has stepped up its engagement with women chambers of commerce and industry across Pakistan as part of its ongoing efforts to promote women entrepreneurship, strengthen micro-enterprises and improve access to business support services.
The initiative is being undertaken in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision of inclusive economic growth, with a particular focus on increasing the participation of women and micro-enterprises in economic activity and ensuring that they have better access to finance, incentives, skills development and other business support services.
In continuation of its efforts to empower women entrepreneurs and micro-businesses, SMEDA consulted women chambers from across the country to understand the challenges faced by women-owned businesses and identify areas where institutional support can be made more accessible, responsive and perfective.
The consultation was chaired by SMEDA Board Member Aasia Saail, who emphasized the need for stronger institutional mechanisms to support women entrepreneurs and ensure that their specific business requirements are adequately reflected in SME development initiatives.
During the meeting here Thursday, Aasia Saail highlighted the proposed development of a Women Entrepreneurship Portal, which would provide a dedicated platform for women entrepreneurs to access relevant information, support services and business opportunities. She also highlighted SMEDA’s commitment to developing a comprehensive database of women entrepreneurs, which would help identify their business needs and facilitate improved access to finance, incentives, training, market linkages and other support services.
She said that a reliable and updated database of women-led businesses would also enable policymakers and relevant institutions to design more targeted and effective programmes for women entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises.
Aasia Saail further highlighted SMEDA’s partnerships with national and international institutions, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD), among other partners. These collaborations, she said, were aimed at bringing technical assistance, capacity building, entrepreneurship development and other support services closer to women entrepreneurs and micro-businesses.
Representatives of women chambers shared their experiences and highlighted challenges faced by women-owned enterprises, particularly in areas relating to access to finance, business information, markets, skills development and institutional support.
The consultation provided an opportunity for SMEDA and women chambers to exchange views on practical measures for strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women and improving coordination between women business organizations and relevant support institutions.
SMEDA officials said the feedback received from women chambers would help the Authority shape more demand-driven and responsive interventions for women entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises across Pakistan.
The initiative forms part of SMEDA’s broader efforts to strengthen the SME sector by promoting entrepreneurship, improving access to business development services and creating an enabling environment for small businesses to grow and contribute to employment generation and sustainable economic development.
