Women Entrepreneurs: CDA Pledges Expanded Support for Women-Led Businesses
Islamabad authorities announce stronger collaboration with business groups to create more opportunities and dedicated spaces for women entrepreneurs.
Officials and business leaders discuss expanding support for women entrepreneurs in Islamabad.
Women Entrepreneurs: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has pledged to expand institutional support for women-led businesses in Islamabad and announced plans to introduce additional initiatives in partnership with the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI).
The commitment came during a meeting between CDA Chairman Lt. (Retd.) Sohail Ashraf and an IWCCI delegation led by President Samina Fazil. The discussion focused on the successful launch of Islamabad’s first dedicated marketplace for women entrepreneurs and future areas of collaboration.
Representatives of the business community credited CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) Director Dr. Anam Fatima for facilitating the establishment of the Women Enterprise Market. They said the allocation of dedicated commercial space played a key role in bringing the project to completion.
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Samina Fazil thanked CDA, MCI, the State Bank of Pakistan and JazzCash for supporting the initiative and described the marketplace as an important development for expanding women’s economic participation.
Addressing the delegation, Sohail Ashraf praised IWCCI’s efforts and reaffirmed CDA’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the chamber. He said greater participation by women in business would contribute significantly to Islamabad’s economic growth and confirmed that more structured programmes would follow.
Dr. Anam Fatima said city authorities remain focused on creating safe, accessible and affordable business spaces for women while supporting low-cost enterprise models that can expand across the capital.
Fazil described the Women Enterprise Market in G-11 as a landmark project and said it marked the first time Islamabad had introduced a dedicated commercial space specifically designed for women-led enterprises.
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During the meeting, Naima Ansari highlighted challenges facing female entrepreneurs. She noted that women own only around 8 percent of Pakistan’s more than five million small and medium enterprises, while women-led businesses receive only 3.2 percent of SME financing.
The delegation also explored further opportunities for cooperation between civic institutions and the private sector. IWCCI reaffirmed its commitment to working with public bodies and encouraged wider support for women-led businesses through practical policies and dedicated commercial spaces.
