Female entrepreneurs in such industries as have raised concerns that there are no markets for their products and they have had to layoff of employees, many of whom are women.

The Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that there has been no attention to the chamber over the last year.

“Unfortunately, over 14 to 15 months since the Islamic Emirate swept into power, no organization has come here to express readiness to help women entrepreneurs,” said Mumtaz Youosufzai, the acting head of the chamber.

“Over the past two years there was good business. The people are not interested. The women who work at home are not doing so well,” said Amina Mirzayi, a female entrepreneur.

Pashtoon Amiri, an investor, said that she was forced to send home dozens of workers due to economic challenges.

“First Covid-19 and then the political changes, the women have not found any change in their work and there were no sales. We were forced to layoff some of our employees,” she said.

Economists called women’s inclusion in business important for the economic growth of the country.

“Sidelining women from education, work and business means paralyzing half of the society and it inflicts heavy damage on the country’s economy,” said Darya Khan Baheer, an economist.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said that 16 percent of women have left the labor market, which translates into up to 5 percent of Afghanistan’s GDP.