Summary SMEDA and JICA have launched a five-year project in Punjab to empower women entrepreneurs through training, finance access, and market integration support.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – A significant women empowerment initiative has been formally launched in Lahore under a collaboration between the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), marking a new phase in efforts to strengthen women-led businesses in Punjab.
The five-year programme, titled “Project for Capacity Enhancement of Women Entrepreneurs in the Informal Economic Sector in Punjab,” represents a key milestone in ongoing Pakistan-Japan development cooperation focused on inclusive economic growth and entrepreneurship development.
The launch ceremony brought together senior officials from SMEDA, JICA experts, gender specialists, and stakeholders working on women’s economic inclusion. The project is designed to strengthen institutional support mechanisms, enhance access to finance, and expand market linkages for women entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector.
SMEDA Chief Executive Officer Nadia Jahangir Seth said the initiative aligns with the Government of Pakistan’s broader vision of integrating women-led enterprises into the national economy. She noted that women entrepreneurship forms a central pillar of SMEDA’s three-year business strategy and highlighted that Pakistan’s first Women Entrepreneurship Policy, developed by SMEDA, is set to be approved by the Federal Cabinet.
She emphasised that the collaboration with JICA would help improve financial literacy, digital skills, access to credit, and export readiness among women entrepreneurs in Punjab. According to her, the technical expertise provided by JICA would also contribute to long-term institutional learning within SMEDA.
The project also features strong advocacy for inclusive economic participation. Sadaffe Abid, strategic communication specialist and Chief Executive Officer of Circle Women, underlined the structural barriers faced by women in Pakistan’s economy, while pointing to gradual improvements and emerging opportunities for growth.
She said the programme would provide structured pre-incubation and incubation support, alongside improved access to finance and markets, enabling women to actively engage in business development and scale-up opportunities.
Chiyo Mamiya, Chief Adviser of the project, outlined the implementation framework, stating that the initiative will be piloted in Lahore and Sialkot before expanding across Punjab. Over a period of five years, it aims to reach approximately 2,000 women and transgender entrepreneurs, with a focus on high-potential sectors including information technology, services, textiles, sports goods, furniture, and surgical instruments.
She highlighted the introduction of the Women Entrepreneurs Booster Package, a comprehensive support system designed to facilitate business growth, strengthen entrepreneurial capacity, and enhance sustainability within the informal economy.
Mamiya also noted SMEDA’s commitment to ensuring an equitable environment for women entrepreneurs and the inclusion of transgender individuals as part of the programme’s broader inclusivity framework.
Earlier in the session, SMEDA General Manager Gender and Sustainability Division Sheharyar Tahir presented the organisation’s ongoing initiatives for women’s economic empowerment and detailed the objectives of the new project.
The programme continued with an interactive workshop led by gender inclusion specialist Sonal Dhanani, who discussed evolving perspectives on gender equity and economic participation in Pakistan’s business landscape.
The proceedings concluded with a shared commitment from SMEDA and JICA teams to enhance women’s access to credit, expand digital and artificial intelligence-based skills, and develop an enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem aimed at strengthening Punjab’s contribution to national economic progress.
