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Kabul, Apr 17 (EFE).- Women-owned and led businesses in Afghanistan are remarkably resilient in the face of daunting challenges in the Taliban-ruled country, a UN report said on Wednesday.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report on the struggles of women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan amalgamates data over the past three years of Taliban rule.
Despite a sharp decline in female employment rates to 6 percent, Afghan female entrepreneurs serve “as vital pillars of economic stability and hope amidst adversity” in a country battling a severe food shortage that has affected 15.8 million people, according to the report.
Findings indicate that Afghanistan’s women entrepreneurs encounter numerous “hurdles and high business costs.”
The report said increased discrimination, operational constraints, and a weakened financial system have led 41% of surveyed women into debt, with only 5% accessing loans from banks or microfinance institutions.
“Movement restrictions, with 73% unable to travel to local markets without a male escort, further exacerbate the challenges,” the report noted.
But “women are finding ways to tackle the challenges,” said the UN report. “Entrepreneurship has surfaced as a lifeline for women and their families.”
The survey shows 80% of women-led enterprises rely on their business revenues as their primary income source and create job opportunities for others.
“Women entrepreneurs have demonstrated incredible grit, boldness, and resourcefulness under the most dire of conditions,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.
“With a strategic focus on their needs, UNDP and its international and national NGO partners have supported 75,000 micro and small businesses, which together have created employment opportunities for more than 900,000 people who in turn provide support to their families.”
Wignaraja estimated that more than 4.5 million Afghans have benefited – all for an average of $42 per month per business, “a remarkably small price tag compared to the overall impact.”
Reflecting on her recent visit to Afghanistan, she stressed the significance of community-focused international aid in driving positive transformation.
She said additional support was crucial to expanding outreach and improving prospects for Afghanistan’s dynamic entrepreneurs. EFE
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