Islamabad launches first women-only enterprise market in G-11

ISLAMABAD – The capital has launched its first dedicated marketplace exclusively for women entrepreneurs in the G-11 sector, marking a significant step toward improving women’s participation in business and reducing the gender gap in entrepreneurship. The Women Enterprise Market was inaugurated by MNA Farah Naz Akbar at a ceremony organised by the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The initiative is designed to provide women-led businesses with a structured commercial platform in an environment where female participation in entrepreneurship remains limited. Data shared during the event highlighted a wide disparity in business ownership, noting that only around 1 percent of women are engaged in entrepreneurship compared to 21 percent of men. The newly established market has also been developed as a fully cashless commercial space, aimed at promoting digital financial transactions and formal banking access for women. Officials from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said the cashless model would help women entrepreneurs build financial literacy and strengthen their connection with regulated banking systems. JazzCash has partnered in the project as its technology provider. The initiative aligns with the SBP’s 2024–2028 financial inclusion strategy, which targets reducing the gender gap in financial access from 30 percent to 25 percent over the coming years. Despite growing policy efforts, women-owned businesses continue to face major challenges in accessing credit. Recent sector data indicates that women-led firms received only a small fraction of SME lending, while a large proportion of women remain hesitant to use formal financing channels. Official figures further show that women own approximately 8 percent of Pakistan’s more than five million small and medium enterprises, underscoring the structural imbalance in the business sector. The G-11 Women Enterprise Market has been introduced as part of broader efforts to address these challenges by offe