Pakistan is preparing to introduce its first-ever National Women Entrepreneurship Policy, a comprehensive framework designed to enhance women’s financial inclusion and support the growth of women-led businesses across the country. The policy is set to expand existing federal and provincial programs, encourage financial institutions to offer products tailored to women, and implement the State Bank’s Banking on Equality Policy alongside SECP’s Women Equality in Finance Policy. The initiative aims to position women at the centre of Pakistan’s economic development while fostering inclusive and sustainable growth.
Key objectives under the policy include increasing women’s employment from the current 2% to 5%, boosting the number of women exporters from 2,500 to 50%, expanding co-working spaces by 20%, and allocating 15% of SME Fund proceeds to women entrepreneurs. The policy also reserves 5% of the Export Development Fund for women-led export initiatives, targets 20% of BISP beneficiaries in high-risk disaster zones, and aims to provide access to business information for 100,000 women entrepreneurs. By focusing on these measurable outcomes, the policy intends to remove systemic barriers that have historically limited women’s participation in business and trade.
Celebrations for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, jointly hosted by SMEDA and FPCCI in Islamabad, brought together over 21 Women Chambers of Commerce and Industry from across Pakistan. The event highlighted the growing role of women entrepreneurs in driving inclusive economic progress. Addressing the ceremony, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, lauded the determination and innovation of Pakistani women and emphasized that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made women a central focus of national economic planning. The announcement reinforced the government’s commitment to creating a supportive ecosystem for women entrepreneurs across sectors.
The policy outlines several major initiatives, including the development of an AI-enabled Women Entrepreneurship Portal in collaboration with FCDO. The portal will connect business support organizations, regulators, and mentorship networks, offering guidance and resources to women-led ventures. Under the ADB Women Inclusive Finance Programme, worth $2.2 million, special initiatives will focus on digital engagement through non-smartphones, multilingual training content, and re-skilling and reintegration programs for homemakers. The policy also emphasizes rural enterprise development, institutional support through a dedicated hub, and climate-smart business programs including green financing and circular economy initiatives.
Additional support measures include a product development program establishing a design cell at SMEDA with partnerships from leading fashion and textile universities, facilitating access to finance for home-based and micro women entrepreneurs, improving export readiness, and enabling participation in international trade fairs. The policy also seeks to ease the transition of women-led businesses from the informal to formal economy, reduce regulatory costs, enhance market access, and strengthen programs such as the Khadija Programme under Pakistan Single Window. By combining targeted financing, mentorship, and institutional support, Pakistan’s National Women Entrepreneurship Policy aims to create an ecosystem where women-led businesses can thrive, scale, and contribute meaningfully to the country’s economic growth.
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