Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) in collaboration with the management of GIGA Mall has set up 100 free shops for women entrepreneurs at the shopping mall for three months. Ms. Nilofar Bakhtiar, Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women, has inaugurated the event as a chief guest. Women-owned businesses continue to face specific obstacles, many of which were present before the pandemic and have been exacerbated throughout the past two years. Many women entrepreneurs had to either shrink their physical businesses to virtual businesses and many had to close down their businesses. This opportunity encouraged women entrepreneurs to market their products at one of the biggest malls in Islamabad. During the event, Samina Fazil, founder president IWCCI said that this is for the first time in the history of Pakistan that 100 plus women entrepreneurs get access to shops at a mall. She said that we are overwhelmed by the Giga Mall initiative for empowering women in business which will help them scale up their businesses. Naima Ansari, President IWCCI said that these shops will not only provide a marketplace for women but they will interact, understand demand and will price their products accordingly. This also aims to eliminate the concept of middleman as shops are given to women entrepreneurs from far-flung areas like Quetta, Multan, Bhawalpur etc. Nilofar Bakhtiar said that globally women are moving into a growing space as innovators, entrepreneurs, start-up founders, techies, businesswomen, as well as home-based workers. From their existing roles in agriculture, health, education, etc., women are now making inroads in the Fourth Industrial Revolution to drive global and regional knowledge economies. A large number of dignitaries from the business community, executive members IWCCI, government reps, media representatives and women entrepreneurs attended the event.
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