LAHORE: Founder of Circle Women Association Sadaffe Abid has said that Pakistan has one of the lowest female labour force participation rate in the region which is 25 percent according to the World Bank's estimate.

"The Circle Women Association aims to build and develop the entrepreneurial and leadership capacity of women in Pakistan. Our goal is women economic empowerment through technology, entrepreneurship and leadership development," she said while talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday.

She said the Circle has taken a number of initiatives to help women, including 'Tech Karo'. It includes teaching digital skills to young women so they can learn how to code and learn digital marketing. This programme will help them to join companies as freelancers and it is supported by Engro Foundation.

"The Circle's other initiative is 'She loves Tech', which is the world's largest woman start-up competition. It is our flagship initiative and it is in its fourth year in Pakistan. The idea of bringing the competition to Pakistan was to support women start-ups and encourage them to use technology. In Pakistan, we do not have any strong ecosystem for women. So, under 'She Loves Tech', I identify some of the best women-led start-ups in the country using technology and we connect them with mentors. Through workshops, we build their capacity," she said.

According to Sadaffe, the women running businesses can join the competition. This year they have selected participants from all over Pakistan from Sukkur to Gilgit Baltistan, with the support of Habib Bank Limited. The UNDP is also their partner in promoting the goal of youth engagement, especially women. The 12 finalists short listed will pitch their businesses at the final and they will have access to a group of mentors comprising marketing, finance and entrepreneur experts.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020