KABUL (SW) – Akhundzada Abdul Salam Javad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, states that the ministry has issued work licenses to 1200 female entrepreneurs and traders over the past two years.
He adds, “We have always addressed the problems of women entrepreneurs; there are no obstacles for them in the trade and investment sector. After the conquest, 1200 licenses have been issued to female traders who are active in seven sectors such as agriculture, industry, construction, relief, health, and services.”
Despite constraints, challenges, and obstacles, Afghan women entrepreneurs and traders have persistently continued their work, playing a significant role in stabilizing Afghanistan’s economy, according to a recent report from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Afghanistan.
Some female entrepreneurs and traders, Interviewed by Salam Watandar, acknowledge that while they have strived to create job opportunities since the collapse of the republic, the lack of market demand and economic hardships have posed significant obstacles to their work.
Samira Mohammadi, an entrepreneur in Kabul, says that the absence of a market is the biggest challenge for female entrepreneurs. “We do not have customers, people cannot afford to buy. Out of the 35 apprentices, I used to have, only 15 remained. They work 12 hours a day, earning 50 Afghanis, barely enough to meet their needs. I cannot afford to pay them anymore,” She added.
Forozan Kohistani, who has been running a cookie-making workshop for 20 women for the past two years, also shares her experience: “At the beginning, 20 women worked with us, but unfortunately, due to economic difficulties, our production and sales have decreased. Now only 15 women work with us. These women are needy, and many of them are the breadwinners for their families.”
The female entrepreneurs and traders further note that they have been forced to borrow money from relatives and institutions to continue and expand their work.
According to UNDP report, over the past two years, the unemployment rate has dramatically increased, and 80% of women-led enterprises consider their earnings from their work as their primary source of income.
The United Nations Development Program has emphasized that over the past two years, it has indirectly assisted nearly 4.5 million individuals in Afghanistan by creating job opportunities for thousands of women.
