USAID’s Office of Women in Development and the BizCLIR project have released a report on the business environment for women in Rwanda. The report “identifies opportunities that can stimulate the country’s broader reform efforts with the ultimate goal of poverty reduction. In Rwanda, a common quote among stakeholders was ‘Poverty has a female face.’ Our evaluation provides the key areas for improvement for women as the country attempts to improve its position in the global economy, achieve the targets of Vision 2020, and takes advantage of the new East Africa common market. The report provides the Mission and other interested parties with an in-depth description of the key recommendations for change.”

Chapters include: institutional strengthening, entrepreneurial education and training, access to finance, and access to markets.

Read the report: “Rwanda: Investing in the Empowerment of Women in Business”

To share an item with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs, send it to partners@cipe.org

In Sialkot, Pakistan, the Center for International Private Enterprise conducted a workshop for women executive committee members on chamber management and entrepreneurship development. The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also formed a committee on women entrepreneurs. The CIPE workshop was highlighted in the Business Recorder: 

“Need Stressed to Identify Constraints Faced by Women Entrepreneurs”
19 November 2009

To share an item with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs, send it to partners@cipe.org.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Central and North Punjab Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CNPWCCI) and Pakistan Foundation for the Advancement of Engineering & Technology for poverty alleviation and environmental improvement through technology and entrepreneurship development. The trained and motivated project team has started their work at designated premises, procuring, developing product design and credit lines for the clusters of the needy women. This project will help women to raise their income and improve the environment to attain the Millennium Development Goal of United Nations.

Recycling is an extremely important issue in our world today. It is important for every person to take responsibility for his or her own contribution to the recycling effort. Recycling not only means reusing and restoring our garbage but can also include donating old clothes to charitable organizations, reusing plastic containers to store food in the refrigerator, and many other activities we already participate in. Although recycling encompasses many areas of our lives but paper recycling focuses on our everyday waste products. How to recycle them, if it is a worthwhile cause. Recycling has several effects on the earth such as helping to slow global warming, diminishing acid rain, reducing water pollution, conserving landfill space, and lowering pollutants in the air. Continue reading ‘Joint Project of Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Improvement through Technology and Entrepreneurship Development’ »

Empowerment of women is a long cherished aim and various means are employed to reach out to women to help them to attain status, to make free decisions, and live a life of better standard. Empowerment, in no sense, means to ignore home or rebel against values but empowerment is a positive phenomenon for noble cause of a better and respectable life. This positive aim must be and can be attained well within our social values and the end is prosperity and self reliance.

In the present age of lack of resources, inflation, economic depletion, any individual and more so a woman cannot survive a dependent. A home cannot be run without creating income resources and keep on increasing these. A woman without a skill cannot be a good tool to contribute to any field of life and can never be an earning hand. Continue reading ‘Empowerment of Women Through Employment’ »

District Mardan of NWFP in terms of trade and business has a significant position in the province. There exists an untapped potential for the promotion and development of trade and industry. However due to lack of entrepreneurial skill and professional training, the ability of local businesses to flourish and contribute to the economic development is hindered.

CIPE in collaboration with Mardan Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized a workshop on women entrepreneurship development on May 27, 2008.

The business environment for women in Mardan reflects the complex interplay of many factors, which fall into two basic categories. The first category is made up of social, cultural, traditional and religious elements. The second category is induced by the factors of the first component, taking the form of constitutional structures, policy documents, regulatory arrangements and institutional mechanisms. However, women in Mardan do not have access to basic technical training to optimize their potential and generate sources of income. Continue reading ‘Contribution of Women to Economic Growth - District Mardan’ »

We have the pleasure to present the 2009 Business Training programme for business women and aspiring women entrepreneurs.

The objective of this training is to provide an opportunity for potential women entrepreneurs and business owners to gain innovative entrepreneurial skills, financial capacity, sharing of knowledge, skills training, and enterprise development in order to help them access market, networking and business opportunities.

Read the details on the training workshops.