PSW, LUMS host Khadijah Program session to promote women entrepreneurship

ISLAMABAD, Sep 25 (APP):Pakistan Single Window (PSW), in collaboration with the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship (LCE) on Friday hosted a mentorship and capacity-building session under its Khadijah Women Entrepreneurship Program to support entrepreneurship and business innovation in Pakistan.

The session, held at the LCE auditorium at LUMS, brought together aspiring women entrepreneurs, academic leaders and industry experts, with a focus on entrepreneurial growth, digital trade integration and practical mentorship for scaling women-led businesses, said a news release.

Aasia Saail Khan, Founder and Director of LAMA; Saulat Salahuddin, Founder of Pronto Spaces; and Shehla Javed Akram, Founder of the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) Lahore, served as key mentors during the session.

Specialised entrepreneurial training was also conducted by Dr. Shehryar Shahid, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at LUMS.

He highlighted the role of LCE in venture creation, demonstrating how academic incubation and structured mentorship could accelerate early-stage startup growth.

The mentors shared practical experiences on understanding market complexities, developing resilient brands, leveraging digital platforms and achieving sustainable business expansion.

Their interactive guidance provided aspiring entrepreneurs with valuable lessons on overcoming operational barriers and scaling modern ventures in Pakistan’s evolving economic landscape.

Under its mission to promote gender inclusion in trade, PSW’s Khadijah Program continues to engage with academic institutions and industrial clusters to equip women entrepreneurs with technical knowledge, regulatory understanding, and digital skills needed to thrive globally.

The initiative has been recognised with the WTO Global Award for Gender Equality in Trade.

By connecting university talent with established industry figures, the program helps create an environment where innovative ideas can evolve into scalable, commercially viable enterprises.

Emphasizing the impact of mentorship on young founders, Syed Aftab Haider, CEO of PSW, stated, “Empowering the next generation of women entrepreneurs requires not just technical trade tools, but also demands meaningful mentorship and real-world industry perspective. Our engagement at LUMS under the Khadijah Program reflects PSW’s commitment to cultivating entrepreneurial growth by connecting aspiring female leaders with experienced trailblazers. By providing students with practical market knowledge, we are building an inclusive, technology driven foundation for Pakistan’s trade ecosystem.”

Reaffirming LCE’s commitment to inclusive economic development through entrepreneurial initiatives, Jazib Zahir, Director LCE, commented, “We value this partnership with Pakistan Single Window for the Khadijah Program because it adds another dimension to our effort to integrate practical elements into our curriculum. Entrepreneurial thinking, digital skills, product-market fit and building for scale are all vital for success in the modern workplace. This exposure to business leaders and entrepreneurship experts provides encouragement to women entrepreneurs to develop these skills and build on their ideas.”

Through ongoing partnerships with academic centres of excellence and industry leaders, PSW continues to strengthen the framework for female entrepreneurship across the country. By embedding real world mentorship, digital trade literacy, and leadership development into its outreach, the Khadijah Program remains a central part of inclusive economic growth and paperless trade transformation.