Islamabad: Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Lt. (Retd.) Sohail Ashraf has reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to promoting women’s economic participation and announced plans for additional initiatives in collaboration with the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI). The assurance came during a meeting with an IWCCI delegation led by President Samina Fazil, which called on the CDA chairman to discuss the successful launch of Islamabad’s first dedicated marketplace for women entrepreneurs and explore future areas of cooperation.
Women Enterprise Market Launched in G-11
Businesswomen attending the meeting credited the support of CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) Director Dr Anam Fatima for helping establish the Women Enterprise Market. They said the allocation of dedicated commercial space was instrumental in turning the project into reality. Samina Fazil thanked the CDA, MCI, the State Bank of Pakistan and JazzCash for supporting the initiative, describing the market as a significant step toward expanding economic opportunities for women.
CDA Chairman Pledges Stronger Partnership
Speaking on the occasion, Sohail Ashraf praised IWCCI’s efforts and assured the delegation that CDA would further strengthen its partnership with the chamber. He said greater participation of women in business was essential for Islamabad’s economic development and that more structured programmes for women entrepreneurs would be pursued in the coming months. Dr Anam Fatima said city authorities were committed to creating safe and accessible business spaces for women and supporting low-cost enterprise models that could be replicated across the capital.
Landmark Initiative for Women-Led Businesses
Fazil termed the Women Enterprise Market in G-11 a landmark initiative, noting that Islamabad had never before offered a dedicated commercial space designed specifically for women-led businesses. Naima Ansari highlighted some of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. According to available data, women own only about 8 percent of the country’s more than five million small and medium enterprises, while just 3.2 percent of SME financing reaches women-led businesses. Female entrepreneurship remains significantly lower than male participation, limiting women’s contribution to economic growth.
Future Collaboration and Replication
The delegation also discussed and explored new opportunities for collaboration between civic authorities and the private sector. Fazil said IWCCI would continue working with public institutions to expand similar initiatives and encouraged municipal authorities and chambers of commerce across the country to support women-led enterprises through practical measures and dedicated business spaces.
