WCCIPD Proposes Women Economic Empowerment Package for KP Budget 2026-27
PESHAWAR:Mussawir Khan
The Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry Peshawar Division (WCCIPD) has submitted a comprehensive set of budget recommendations to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Fiscal Year 2026-27, calling for major policy reforms and targeted investments to strengthen women entrepreneurship, SME development, employment generation, and inclusive economic growth across the province.
President Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry Peshawar Division stated that women entrepreneurs, home-based businesses, startups, freelancers, and SMEs possess significant potential to contribute to economic growth, exports, investment, and job creation. However, limited access to finance, markets, industrial infrastructure, and institutional support continues to restrict their full participation in the economy.
The Chamber has proposed the formulation of a Provincial Women Economic Empowerment Framework supported by gender-responsive budgeting and dedicated allocations for women enterprise development. Among the key recommendations is the establishment of a Provincial Women Development Fund with revolving financing facilities, including micro-enterprise loans, SME growth financing, industrial support loans, credit guarantees, and markup support schemes.
WCCIPD has also urged the provincial government to formally include Women Chambers of Commerce in Economic Advisory Councils, Standing Committees, Budget Consultation Forums, and SME, Industry, Trade, and Investment Boards to ensure greater participation of women entrepreneurs in economic policymaking.
To promote enterprise development and employment generation, the Chamber has recommended cluster-based entrepreneurship and skills development programs in agriculture, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, tourism, information technology, and gems and jewellery sectors. The recommendations further call for the establishment of Women Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Incubation Centers to support product development, export readiness, digital commerce, research, and innovation.
Highlighting the need for industrial inclusion, WCCIPD has proposed reserved space for women entrepreneurs in Special Economic Zones, Industrial Estates, and SIDB industrial areas, alongside the development of dedicated Women Industrial Parks equipped with common facilities and business support infrastructure.
The Chamber has further recommended the creation of Women Business Markets in major cities and Women Community Economic Centers at district level to support commercialization of home-based businesses, micro-enterprises, and tourism-linked economic activities.
To improve the business environment, WCCIPD has called for Women Business Facilitation Desks in provincial departments, simplified registration and licensing procedures, one-window support systems, and reduced compliance burdens for SMEs and women-owned businesses. The Chamber has also proposed a simplified legal framework for registration and formalization of women-owned enterprises, home-based businesses, freelancers, and micro-enterprises.
In its budget proposals, WCCIPD has sought tax relief measures for women entrepreneurs, including exemptions from Professional Tax and Board Tax for women-owned startups and home-based businesses, along with incentives to encourage business formalization and growth.
The Chamber has additionally recommended reserving a minimum share of provincial public procurement for women-owned enterprises and introducing procurement preference mechanisms to enhance their participation in government supply chains.
As a major institutional reform, WCCIPD has proposed the establishment of a Women Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development Center (WEEDC) to coordinate financing, incubation, exports, industrial participation, market access, policy support, and implementation of women-focused economic initiatives throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The President of WCCIPD stated that these recommendations are not merely sector-specific requests but strategic investments aimed at increasing productivity, strengthening enterprise competitiveness, generating employment opportunities, expanding exports, promoting financial inclusion, and accelerating sustainable economic growth across the province.
The Chamber expressed its commitment to continued collaboration with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and all relevant stakeholders to advance an inclusive, enterprise-led economic development agenda that fully utilizes the economic potential of women entrepreneurs.
