The representative body of Employer’s in the region, the Employer’s Federation of Pakistan (EFP) has organized its Women Empowerment Seminar in the Dubai Expo 2020- Pakistan Pavilion.
The purpose of the imperial event is to showcase the success stories of different Female Entrepreneurs in the region of Pakistan that have inspired and empowered many to stay committed to their core goals. EFP in its advocacy for women entrepreneurship and inclusion has been actively working for gender-based equality in the industry and supporting female-led SMEs.
Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President EFP, in his welcome remarks, said that “EFP has been working on different fronts to promote women empowerment in Pakistan. A significant achievement has been the active participation of females in the agricultural sector of Pakistan, particularly in interior Sindh and Punjab region of the area. Today, we share the success stories of different women entrepreneurs who have inspired many”.
The event featured Guest Speakers sessions by Ms. Jehan Ara, Founder and CEO of Katalyst Labs, and Ms. Naila Naqvi, Founder and CEO of Pie in The Sky. The Session covered personal journey of Ms. Naqvi who currently runs one of the largest business chains in Pakistan, while Ms. Jehan Ara shared stories of female entrepreneurs who are changing the startup landscape of Pakistan.
To recognize and appreciate the contribution made by employers to support inclusion of women in the workforce, EFP also featured corporate success stories of K-Electric and Mobilink Microfinance Bank to promote spirit of responsible practices by corporations.
K-Electric’s Roshni Baji safety ambassadors – Abeera Almas & Zara Afshan were also invited to share their remarkable journey towards leading a massive behavioral shift in the society. The ambassador program is winner of various national and international accolades including the 23rd S&P Global Platts Energy Awards.
Speaking at the occasion, Ghazanfar Azam, President & CEO MMBL said, “We strongly believe women’s participation in the formal economy is crucial for Pakistan’s economic progress. That is why we strive to engender an enabling environment where women have both the opportunity and the financial means to grow and prosper. Our customized financial products and services ecosystem and special initiatives such as Women Inspiration Network (WIN) continue to make a difference for women both in and outside our organization”.
Ismail Suttar, President EFP, greatly admired the contribution made by the guest speakers. He further commented that EFP has a crucial role to play to make Pakistan a more progressive economy with high women participation across all sector and industry.
Suttar said, “We cannot move forward if half our population is not active, therefore, the efforts made by EFP are very important and soon we will see how Pakistan will have higher women ratio in workforce because we can’t afford to have only the men to work and earn a living”.
