Greater gender inclusion in trade policies stressed

Entrepreneurship experts stress enhancement of gender balance

ISLAMABAD:

As the country attempts to pivot from an agri-industrial base to an entrepreneurship one, there is a need to include more women in key trade policy bodies.

This was stressed by speakers during a public-private dialogue on Gender Focused Economic Reforms (GFER), organized by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad on Tuesday.

While women form around half of the country’s population, they comprise less than 10% of entrepreneurs, said former Commerce ministry’s director-general Rubina Tariq.

She lamented the lack of sustainable facilitation provided by the government to help women earn a living. As a result, Tariq said that 70% of businesses run by women close in the first year.

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), she said, can help by allocating 25% of its budget for women exporters. She also called for a greater allocation of funds towards capacity-building programmes for women startups and exporters in all major cities. One measure which can help is the development of a database of women entrepreneurs, she said, adding that the relevant government departments need to take up the issue and respond with the required policy changes.

TDAP Director General Shahzad Khan emphasised the provision of guidance to women chambers and advising women entrepreneurs to join relevant trade associations to stay in touch with the latest trends and opportunities.

He noted that the Strategic Trade Policy Framework 2020-2025 will be gender-inclusive, and will make it incumbent on TDAP to align its policies accordingly.

Shahzad mentioned that as part of its capacity-building efforts for the growth and development of women entrepreneurs, TDAP has successfully operated the National Exporter Training Programme across the country.

“We will assign a dedicated human resource for female entrepreneurs who will also take suggestions from the private sector for greater gender inclusion,” he shared.

Commerce Ministry’s Joint Secretary Aisha Moriani noted that apart from international market outreach, women must capitalise on the potential of the domestic market and tap into it, especially during the pandemic.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2020.