KATHMANDU, April 21: Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN) felicitated newly-elected president of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Bhawani Rana at an event held at Achar Ghar in Jhamsikhel on Thursday.
FWEAN also recognized Kamala Shrestha for getting elected as executive committee member of FNCCI under Commodity Association, and Jyotsna Shrestha (Subba) for getting elected under Associate Members for FNCCI.
FWEAN first vice-president Shrada Rijal congratulated the women business leaders and praised their hard work and dedication. “I have long been waiting for a woman to lead the FNCCI, and it’s a moment of pride for all Nepali women,” she said.
Rijal urged everyone to follow Rana’s footsteps as she has been able to helm the biggest private sector body of the country, beating the odds and gender stereotypes. It is not easy for women in Nepal to secure leadership position, she said.
Rijal also recognized the hard work and high spirit of Kamala Shrestha and Jyotsna Shrestha and thanked them for representing women in a male dominated society.
Manisha Ghimire, executive member of FWEAN, who was also the host of the event said,
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“The FWEAN community looks forward to receiving constructive advice from the three ladies throughout its journey.”
On the occasion, three women business leaders were handed over letters of appreciation. Rijal and Reeta Simha, second vice-president of FWEAN, presented the letter to Rana, while parliamentarian Chhaya Sharma and FWEAN’s third vice-president Neeru R Khatri handed over the letter to Kamala Shrestha.
Similarly, general secretary of FWEAN, Shova Gyawali and its former president, Rita Bhandary presented Jyotsna Shrestha with the letter of appreciation.
“I had never thought I would become the president of FNCCI. My journey started from FWEAN 12 years ago. It was not that easy and I wasn’t sure if I should contest the election,” said Rana. “I later realized that anything is possible with positive thinking.”
Rana thanked everyone for their encouragement and support throughout her journey. She said she would work with the youths for their skill development, and would make efforts to reform existing policies to make them more business friendly.
Rana also revealed her plans to implement specially-designed programs for economic empowerment of women.
“We need to change our stereotypical thinking that the world of business is male dominated. Support to women should start from home. Women should be encouraged to become economically independent,” said Rana.
She encouraged young women to set goals to become financially independent and work hard. She urged them not to get scared of failures, but to learn from them.
Parliamentarian Sharma requested women entrepreneurs to work closely with lawmakers so that they can collectively formulate new policies to create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Encouraging women to get involved in politics, Sharma said, “I am very happy with Bhawani’s progress. We also have to work to bring other women entrepreneurs under FWEAN.”
“I’m proud of these three ladies. They deserve it. It is necessary to have academic qualification as well as dedication for women to take up leadership role,” said Gyawali, adding that Nepali women should try their best and work with positive thinking without losing hope. “This will certainly lead women to success.”
