Women Entrepreneurship
Sindh, Pakistan, has a growing number of women entrepreneurs, contributing to the province’s economic development. Despite challenges, women are starting and running successful businesses, creating jobs and stimulating local economies.
- Women’s Participation in the Workforce: 22% of women in Sindh are part of the workforce (Source: PBS, 2020).
- Women Entrepreneurs: 15% of women in Sindh are entrepreneurs, running their own businesses (Source: WB, 2020).
- GDP Contribution: Women’s entrepreneurship contributes around 10% to Sindh’s GDP (Source: SBP, 2020).
- Government Initiatives: Sindh Government’s initiatives, such as the “Sindh Women’s Entrepreneurship Program,” support women entrepreneurs.
- Training and Capacity Building: Organizations offer training and capacity-building programs for women entrepreneurs.
- Access to Finance: Financial institutions provide special financing schemes and credit facilities for women entrepreneurs.
- Networking and Collaboration: Women’s business networks and associations promote collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Women-Focused Ventures: Investing in businesses catering to women’s needs, such as healthcare, education, and fashion.
- Women-Led Businesses: Investing in businesses led by women, across various sectors.
- Training and Capacity Building: Investing in training programs for women entrepreneurs.
- Financial Inclusion: Investing in financial institutions providing services to women entrepreneurs.
- The State Bank of Pakistan facilitates financial access for women entrepreneurs nationwide, offering financing at a markup rate of up to 5% per annum. The maximum financing limit is set at Rs. 5 million, with a maximum tenure of five years, which includes a grace period of up to six months. Additionally, Participating Financial Institutions can benefit from risk coverage of up to 60 percent.
- Preferential score/marks for projects submitted by Women Entrepreneurs (SEDF Scoring Criteria) .
- SEDF provides assistance to businesses led by women by offering a 100% markup/KIBOR subsidy. This support aims to empower women entrepreneurs and enable them to grow their businesses by providing financial relief and reducing the cost of borrowing. The subsidy is designed to create a more favorable environment for women-led businesses to thrive and contribute to the overall economic development of the region.
| S/NO | Project Name | Total Project Cost | Financing Amount | Sector | Region | Bank |
| 1 | WE Yasmeen Bibi | 22,00,000 | 15,00,000 | Tractor | Hyderabad | Bank Alfalah |
| 2 | WE Shafaq | 15,00,000 | 843,900 | Cosmetic Business | Karachi | Js Bank |
| 3 | WE Faizan Bano | 750,000 | 600,000 | Livestock | Hyerabad | Bank Alfalah |
| 4 | WE Firdos Asif | 10,00,000 | 800,000 | Livestock | Sukkur | Bank Alfalah |
| 5 | WE Hira | 10,00,000 | 800,000 | Livestock | Sukkur | Bank Alfalah |
| 6 | WE Narjis Fatima | 10,00,000 | 800,000 | Livestock | Sukkur | Bank Alfalah |
| 7 | WE Syeda Nusrat Zehra | 750,000 | 600,000 | Livestock | Sukkur | Bank Alfalah |
| 8 | WE Saima Hanif Khan | 20,00,000 | 19,63,510 | Corieur /Express Business | Karachi | Js Bank |
| Total Amount | 102,00,000 | 79,07,410 | ||||
Success
Stories
Karamel Cookies, a woman-led enterprise, benefited from assistance provided by SEDF in collaboration with Abdi (Pvt) Limited, an institutional partner of SEDF. This alliance facilitated the fulfillment of Karamel Cookies' financial needs, with SEDF offering the KIBOR subsidy. As a result of this support, Karamel Cookies was able to maintain its operations and expand its business, even in the face of a difficult investment climate in the country...
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