DLP Report
KOHAT
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Local Government and Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi, along with Provincial Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan, on Friday inaugurated a Rs338.053 million Women Business Development Centre in Kohat, said a handout.
The statement said the centre has been set up to provide women with training in vocational skills, business management and digital technologies, enabling them to start enterprises, improve livelihoods and access sustainable income opportunities.
Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Afridi said sustainable development could not be achieved without women’s economic participation, noting that women constitute 52 per cent of Pakistan’s population and play a vital role in national growth.
“The provincial government is pursuing measures to equip women with marketable skills, expand entrepreneurship opportunities and encourage self-employment,” he said, adding that the centre would offer training in business management, entrepreneurship, vocational trades and digital technologies to help women establish businesses and build sustainable sources of income.
Mr Jan said women’s economic empowerment remained a priority of the provincial government, describing the facility as “a practical step towards that objective.”
“Providing women with modern skills, business guidance and professional training will enable them to create employment for themselves while contributing to the provincial economy and the growth of small businesses,” he added.
Officials said the centre would train hundreds of women annually with the objective of promoting entrepreneurship, expanding employment opportunities and strengthening the local economy.
The ceremony was attended by Kohat District Development Advisory Committee Chairman Daud Shah Afridi, MPA, Local Government Secretary Zafar-ul-Islam, Deputy Commissioner Kohat Muhammad Nawaz Wazir, WSSC Kohat Chief Executive Saad Qureshi, Kohat Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Rasheed Ahmad Paracha, government officials, business representatives, local elders and a large number of women.
Following the inauguration, Mr Afridi, Mr Jan and Mr Daud Shah Afridi launched an urban plantation drive under the Urban Area Development Authority by planting Chir Pine saplings, reaffirming the government’s commitment to environmental protection and greener urban areas.
