Faiza Tehseen

The Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) has planned to train women in modern skills like visual communication, entrepreneurship, information technology, textile, fine arts, and designing to enable them to play a role in the country’s social and economic development.

Talking to WealthPK, PCJCCI President Moazzam Ghurki said the chamber was engaging with Chinese companies and entrepreneurs to impart modern entrepreneurial skills to Paksitani women. He said PCJCCI aimed to promote women entrepreneurship in the textile and fashion industries with the help of Chinese entrepreneurs. He said the chamber had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Home Economics, Lahore, to encourage the business community to invest in technical and vocational skills of women. Moazzam said PCJCCI wanted to integrate Pakistan’s textile sector with the China’s contemporary advancements in the sector with a particular focus on imparting entrepreneurial skills to young women. He said various workshops, seminars and research projects would also be conducted for the stakeholders.

“PCJCCI is a reputed trade and business forum, which always plays an active role in promoting all the segments necessary to improve business facilities, especially to encourage women to become successful entrepreneurs.”  Talking to WealthPK regarding women empowerment, especially in the textile sector, Zulfiqar Ahmad, media manager of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said promoting entrepreneurship among Pakistani women through Chinese companies’ support could be an impactful strategy leveraging the strengths and resources of both the countries. “Leveraging the strategic partnership between Pakistan and China and focusing on promoting women entrepreneurship can help drive economic growth, innovation and social progress.

There is a need to transition from traditional sectors like agriculture, textiles and handicrafts to technology, e-commerce, health and pharmaceuticals. Training programmes, workshops and mentorship initiatives should be launched to empower Pakistani women with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in entrepreneurship endeavours. Chinese expertise in areas such as e-commerce, manufacturing and technology could be particularly valuable. As active business platforms, chambers of commerce and industry across Pakistan can play an important role in this regard.” Speaking to WealthPK, Robina Yasmin, chief executive of Dua Boutique in Rawalpindi, said the initiative taken by PCJCCI to promote women entrepreneurship in the textile sector underscored the strong collaboration between Pakistan and China in fostering economic development.

“By forging strategic partnerships with Chinese businesses and organisations, PCJCCI aims to create opportunities for women entrepreneurs to access markets, resources and support networks on both sides. This collaboration will open doors for women entrepreneurs to tap into the vast Chinese market. Through partnerships with Chinese companies and e-commerce platforms, women-led textile businesses in Pakistan can gain access to millions of consumers beyond borders.” She said women made up large part of Pakistan’s population, and as such it was important to bring them forward to play their crucial role in the economic progress of the country.

Credit: INP-WealthPk