Collateral free financing plan for women entrepreneurs
LAHORE – Advisor to Prime Minister on Women Development MNA Yasmeen Rehman has said that government is considering collateral free availability of finance on low mark-up to the women entrepreneurs as it is key to economic well being of the country.
She was speaking at a women networking event organized by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry Saturday.
LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, Senior Vice President Ijaz A. Mumtaz, Vice President Faisal Iqbal Sheikh and Convener LCCI Standing Committee on Women Entrepreneurs Development Aasia Saail Khan also spoke on the occasion.
Ms Yasmeen Rehman said that the present government is making whole-hearted efforts for women empowerment and utilizing all available resources for the promotion of women entrepreneurship. She said that the government understands well that no country could achieve the goal of progress and prosperity without recognizing the role of women. She said that investment in women empowerment is key to economic turnaround of the country.
She said that due to this reason the government has enhanced the role of women in decision making and policy formulation. She said that women empowerment is an important and useful concept in the development of a community as it represents women as an active member rather than passive recipients of development policies. She said that had the women been provided access to education, employment and health in true manner in the past, the economic situation would have been quite encouraging today.
The Prime Minister Advisor urged the women entrepreneurs to take part in nation building activities for the sake of our future generation. She said that the government was making all possible efforts for the up gradation of women entrepreneurs by providing them an enabling business doing environment.
Speaking on the occasion, the LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry stressed the need for allocation of more resources for the development of women entrepreneurs. He said that women should be provided with equal opportunities in all spheres of life so that they could be able to play their role for the progress and prosperity of the country.
He said that there was a dire need to revisit policies for women empowerment and a whole mechanism needs to be evolved to ensure the implementation of these policies. He said that all business related information should be disseminated to the women entrepreneurs so that they could be able to avail available business opportunities.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms Aasia Saail Khan said that women for centuries have been an unrecognised part of the rural economy of the Pakistan. Despie being an integral part of our population they lack provision of basic facilitation.
She said that the women face issues like Lack of Drinkable Water, lack of health facilities, limited access to education and skill development and above all no access to Finance.
She said that the situation was fast improving, as the participation of women in all areas of economic development is being encouraged and promoted by the government and the private sector. They are entering in all fields of economic development and contributing towards enhancing the pace of economic growth.
She emphasized that promotion of Women Entrepreneurship in Pakistan could act as a catalyst for Women Empowerment and also accelerate the process of Economic Growth and Development.
She said the government should play an active part in encouraging and facilitating Women Entrepreneurs in particular and Entrepreneurship in general.
She said that the time has come, when we must realize that empowering women could be a blessing not a threat to this society.
There is a potential to develop Women Entrepreneurship in preview of the talent and aptitude which Pakistani women possess, however there is a need to give serious consideration and utmost efforts have to be made in identifying the hurdles in the way of further development. Some of the major issues and problems are: Lack of self-confidence, lack of awareness and limited access to information, lack of education, training and skill development, lack of access to finance, lack of training regarding business and financial management skills, lack of entrepreneurial skills.
Source: The Nation
Date:6/13/2010
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