PROVINCE REPORT
PESHAWAR : A delegation from the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peshawar (WCCIPD), led by President Ms. Quratulain, called on Ms. Nadia Jahangir Seth, Chief Executive Officer of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), to congratulate and welcome her on assuming the role as SMEDA’s first female CEO. The delegation included Senior Vice President Ms. Zara Imtiaz and Secretary General Ms. Saba Hidayat.
President Quratulain congratulated Ms. Nadia Jahangir Seth on her historic appointment and expressed confidence that her leadership would further strengthen Pakistan’s SME sector while creating greater opportunities for women entrepreneurs. She acknowledged the significance of having a woman lead the country’s premier SME development organization and wished her success in advancing inclusive economic growth.
During the meeting, the WCCIPD delegation highlighted the Chamber’s more than 16 years of dedicated efforts in promoting women entrepreneurship and supporting women-led businesses across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The delegation also briefed the CEO on its ongoing initiatives and strategic efforts aimed at advancing women’s economic empowerment in the province.
President Quratulain sought an overview of SMEDA’s upcoming projects and its strategic priorities. Ms. Nadia Jahangir Seth shared SMEDA’s vision and explained the organization’s core mandate of policy advocacy and SME ecosystem development. She also highlighted SMEDA’s recent collaborations with PIFD, Alibaba, JICA, and other national and international partners, while noting that several impactful initiatives are currently in the pipeline to strengthen Pakistan’s SME ecosystem.
President Quratulain also presented recommendations to further promote the development of women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises. She emphasized the importance of enhanced representation of women within SMEDA at the national level to strengthen coordination, improve stakeholder engagement, and ensure that the voices of women entrepreneurs are reflected in policy and program design.
Ms. Nadia Jahangir Seth welcomed the recommendations and appreciated WCCIPD’s longstanding contributions to women entrepreneurship. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening institutional collaboration and working together to build a more inclusive, resilient, and enabling environment for women-led enterprises across Pakistan.
