Businesswomen in Nimroz are urging officials in the interim government to assist them in obtaining work permits and providing markets for their products.
The Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nimroz said that the number of active businesswomen in the province has increased in recent months, and they now require support.
Fazl Mohammad Fazli, the head of industry and commerce in Nimroz, said: “During this period, some workshops have obtained licenses, and others are in the process of applying. We have assisted them and will continue to help as much as we can.”
Malalai Mohammadi, one of the businesswomen in the province, has been running a workshop in Zaranj city for two years.
During this time, she has trained 35 other women in producing children’s toys.
She says that due to the lack of a suitable market, she has lost her income and is asking for support from officials in the interim government.
Malalai Mohammadi, the workshop owner, said: “We ask the government to support women. This is an innovation. We also need cooperation from other provinces. Our budget is limited, for instance, for raw materials and standard machinery.”
Suraya, a trainee, said: “We ask the government to support us. There are other women in this workshop who are in need and must be supported.”
According to statistics from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the province, more than 1,000 women and girls are engaged in business activities in Nimroz.
Palwasha Shams, the head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nimroz, said: “A woman who wants to obtain a license must go to Kabul, which costs 50,000 or 60,000 Afghani. If a woman has 60,000 or 70,000 Afghani, she could start a large business instead of a small one. The production sectors are closed to them, and they face restrictions. The Department of Labor and Social Affairs in Nimroz has restricted the production sector, and I think this limitation exists only in Nimroz. My request to the officials is to remove these restrictions so women can work freely in the production or education sectors.”
Shahgul Gulzadeh, a businesswoman, said: “I ask the authorities to support this workshop so our products can reach other provinces.”
Local officials in Nimroz say they support the business activities of women in the province.
According to them, obtaining a work permit is essential for these female entrepreneurs, and without it, they cannot operate legally.
Omar Zubair, head of the work and social affairs department in Nimroz, said: “Anyone who establishes a workshop, we grant them a license. First, they obtain a license from the ministry, and then they come here and legally start their workshop.”
In the past three years, the business activities of women in Nimroz have significantly increased. These women have created workshops for handmade products, providing work and income opportunities for hundreds of other women and girls.