The two-day seminar that started on Thursday, is being organized by the Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs Associations of Nepal (FWEAN).The event also marks FWEAN’s 10th annual general meeting (AGM).
Addressing the seminar, Chhabindra Parajuli, the under secretary at the Minister for Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) highlighted FWEAN’s role in uplifting the status of the country’s women entrepreneurs and lauded the initiatives undertaken by the federation in business expansion and the development of the export sector. [break]
The first day of the workshop witness a presentation by Rita Bhandary, the first vice-president of FWEAN, on gender specific challenges being faced by women entrepreneurs for business expansion and exports. Similarly, presentations on implementation status and the role of women entrepreneurs in trade mainstreaming and NTIS implementation were made by Toya Nath Gyawali, the joint secretary at MoCS.
Reeta Simha, an executive member of FWEAN, highlighted the low participation of Nepali women entrepreneurs in international trade and said, “The government should subsidize us, basically at cargo during our participation in international trade fairs.”
Moreover, she urged the government to help avail of new technology that would make domestic products competitive in the international market. According to her, living in a patriarchal country like Nepali, women still have less access to finance. “The government should either set a collateral-free zone or provide us with loans at lower interest rates,” Simha said.
Meanwhile, a group work on identification of gender specific issues for business expansion and export marketing was also conducted.
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