Manizha Wafeq, a founder of the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI), discusses the groundbreaking formation of the country's first women's chamber of commerce.
In 2014, a group of Afghan businesswomen, known as the Leading Entrepreneurs for Afghanistan's Development (LEAD), arranged to meet with the country's first lady and High Economic Council. The businesswomen appealed to the country's powerbrokers to allow them to formally change their group's name to the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and they asked to be recognized as the country's first official women's chamber of commerce.
Three years later, on March 12, 2017, the group received official permission to changed its name and register with the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries. In this week's podcast, Wafeq describes the arduous process and the significance of the milestone name change.
Despite working in the formal sector and creating jobs for the country, Wafeq explains that AWCCI is still needed because of the onerous hurdles Afghan businesswomen face. These obstacles include social and cultural barriers and limited access to markets and finance.
For more information on their accomplishments and news, visit AWCCI's website. Watch our latest video learn more about CIPE's partnership with other women's chambers in South Asia.
Want to hear more? Listen to previous podcasts at CIPE.org/podcast.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on your Android device.
Like this podcast? Please review us on iTunes.
