Islamabad Expo 2012: Spotlighting the entrepreneurial side of women

The creative exposition included a variety of locally-produced items.

ISLAMABAD: The two-day Women Expo 2012 titled “Women in creative industry” came to an end at Jinnah Convention Centre on Sunday.

The event aimed to focus on young women entrepreneurs and promote their products in the country and abroad for their economic empowerment.

Both days were ripe with colourful stalls displaying handmade garments, arts and crafts, home decor, marble mosaic and inlay, gems and jewellery, furniture, stones and decoration pieces, wallets, mobile covers, and foods representing every part and culture of Pakistan.

Islamabad Woman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) President Samina Fazil said the focus of the expo was to enable skilled women to market their products and popularise them to retailers, wholesalers and distributors. Another purpose was to help women entrepreneurs learn and discover new opportunities by interacting with other exhibitors.

“We are being presented with a great opportunity to show our talents and crafts to the public, and also to network with buyers, distributors and other entrepreneurs,” said a participant, Hina Ejaz.

Fazil, the IWCCI president, noted that female artisans as well as workers are underpaid and under-represented, adding that they need more encouragement, collaboration, networking, promotion and guidance. “Women are facing imbalances including substantially lower returns than do men,” she added.

Organisers and participants expressed their view that the creative industry is lagging behind other sectors, adding that including and encouraging women creativity will benefit the economy. She said that more government-backed initiatives are a “sure way” to achieve this goal.

In a statement, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Country Chief Shadia Yousaf Bakhait said that Pakistani women possess creative skills that need to be polished. UNIDO will continue to contribute to the creative industry of Pakistan by organising training workshops, seminars and events for women entrepreneurs, she said.

The event was organised by IWCCI in collaboration with UNIDO, First Women Bank, Khushhali Bank Limited and Pakistan Stone Development Company to promote and encourage women entrepreneurs’ business linkages.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2012.