Overview
- Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar Khan announced the forthcoming policy at Women’s Entrepreneurship Day events in Islamabad, calling it the country’s first national framework for women-led businesses.
- Reported proposals include a 5% increase in women’s employment, a larger pool of women exporters from roughly 2,500 today, a 15% share of SME Fund proceeds for women, and a 5% reservation in the Export Development Fund.
- Khan said the prime minister has directed the State Bank of Pakistan to set lending targets for women entrepreneurs to improve access to credit.
- Implementation plans identify SMEDA as the lead agency and include an AI-enabled Women Entrepreneurship Portal with the UK’s FCDO to connect entrepreneurs with mentors, support bodies and regulators.
- Donor-backed efforts were highlighted, including an ADB Women Inclusive Finance initiative, as Khan projected economic facilitation measures could exceed $40 billion this year.