PESHAWAR: The Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) on Thursday organised ‘market linkage convention’ to encourage women entrepreneurs belonging to different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The moot was organised in a local hotel wherein women entrepreneurs from Peshawar, Swat, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral and other cities displayed their handmade products at stalls to promote the work of home-based workers.

Speaking to the participants, WCCI president Shamama Arbab said that women entrepreneurs belonging to all tiers of society would find a forum to seek assistance and return for the purpose of linkages, promotion, research and development.

She said that the convention provided a platform for sharing experiences and ideas in developing women’s leadership and entrepreneurship capacity. The objective of the event was to connect, support and empower women in order to bring prosperity in the region.

Talking to mediapersons, Shamama Arbab said that the event was aimed at encouraging skilled women to market their products. She said that the convention would help women to improve their skills, business and increase income.

She urged the women artisans to come forward in their business because the government and donors were providing opportunities to empower them in various fields of business.

Fatima, a participant from Abbottabad, said that the convention helped the participants with their sales because there was no intermediary between the women workers and the buyers. She said that sellers like her could establish contacts and had increased access to various markets at such events.

On the occasion, several business experts, including Ms Hadia Khan, Ms Naushaba Brohi, Ms Aroj Ismail and Ms Zuhra Khanum, gave presentations about business skills in different sectors.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2017