Pakistan has announced its first-ever National Women Entrepreneurship Policy, a landmark step aimed at boosting female-led businesses and expanding women’s role in the economy.
Unveiled on November 20, 2025, the policy sets ambitious targets, including:
- Raising women’s employment to 5% (from the current 2%)
- Increasing women-led exporters by 50%
- Expanding co-working spaces by 20%
- Allocating 15% of SME fund proceeds exclusively to women
The framework will build on existing initiatives such as the State Bank’s Banking on Equality guidelines and the SECP’s Women Equality in Finance policy, while introducing new tools to unlock finance and market access. Key measures include reserving 5% of the Export Development Fund for women-led export ventures and ensuring at least 100,000 female entrepreneurs gain access to business-information platforms.
At the launch, Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is placing women at the centre of economic decision-making, noting that women entrepreneurs already play a significant role in national growth.
A dedicated Women Entrepreneurship Portal, backed by the Asian Development Bank’s Women Inclusive Finance Programme, will connect women with mentorship, regulators and business-support organisations. The policy further focuses on multilingual training, digital access for non-smartphone users, and tailored support for businesses in relief and special zones.
On the product and design side, a SMEDA design cell, working with textile and fashion universities, will help women entrepreneurs improve export readiness, participate in global exhibitions, and tap into green and circular economy opportunities.
The announcement was made at an event in Islamabad hosted by FPCCI and SMEDA, attended by representatives from 21+ women’s chambers of commerce and industry—a strong signal of women’s growing influence in Pakistan’s business ecosystem.
With women-owned SMEs increasingly seen as engines of jobs, exports and innovation, analysts believe this policy could become a turning point—linking finance, digital access and skills to unlock the full potential of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan.
