To promote women entrepreneurship and provide a business-friendly environment, the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has approved Women Business Park in Peshawar.
The Business Park will consist of display centers for women entrepreneurs; family malls, offices, daycare centers and one-window facilitation centers. The Business Park will easily accommodate more than 70 different enterprises. The Women Business Park will be established at a cost of Rs. 890 million at Industrial Estate Peshawar. The decision was taken during the meeting presided by Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Shahab Ali Shah.
According to the 2017 census, women account for 49% of the total population of Pakistan while their participation in the labour force is only 24%. Due to social barriers, the representation of women in jobs and businesses is very low.
The Government of KP is working to empower women to stand side by side with men in business activities. Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peshawar (WCCI) was established in 2011, providing women with a platform to learn and exchange business ideas, as well as gain relevant exposure to expand their businesses and to export their products. Although KP’s women entrepreneurs have business relationships with women entrepreneurs around the world, these activities are limited. These links have to be expanded.
The KP Government is adopting Chinese styled Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to bring industrial revolution in the province. SEZs will create thousands of jobs for the local people including females. Rashakai SEZ, which comes under the umbrella of CPEC, is the first industrial cooperation between China and Pakistan.
Besides creating jobs, SEZs will also promote women’s economic empowerment and boost enterprises competitiveness amongst them. Different researches conducted at global level have showed that SEZs could provide fair employment, equal access to investment opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
