President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani announced that a minimum quota of 5% is reserved for Afghan women entrepreneurs in government contracts in a bid to improve their participation in the economy.
This directive was issued during the president’s visit in Kandahar where he met with women entrepreneurs, activists and politicians.
According to a statement from the presidential palace, President Ghani directed the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to consult trade commissioners at all Afghan diplomatic missions abroad in order to establish a special unit for Kandahar women’s handicrafts at the embassies.
Afghan women entrepreneurs play an integral part in the economic development of the country. According to figures from the Afghan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industries (AWCCI), investments by women have created jobs for 77,000 people across the country. And, as many as 1,150 women entrepreneurs have invested an estimated $77 million in various businesses over the past two decades.
Lack of access to markets and security remain to be the main obstacles facing Afghan women entrepreneurs.
