Greater government support urged for women entrepreneurs

HERAT CITY (Pajwhok): The owner of only women restaurant in western Herat province said she helped generate work opportunities for a number of women by opening a restaurant.

Malalai Farotan, the owner of Subh Bahar Restaurant, during an interview with Pajhwok Afghan News said she opened this restaurant in Herat City, the provincial capital, seven months earlier in order to create work opportunities for women.

The inauguration of the restaurant was warmly welcomed and that she was able to provided 14 women with employment opportunities during the period.

Farotan said that they serve their customers traditional food in the restaurant, the customers could get food in the restaurant as well as ordered food for their outside events.

As part of innovations, Sobh Bahar restaurant also created a library inside the restaurant for her customers so they can study besides getting food in the restaurant.

Malalai Frotan asked the government to take practical steps in supporting the female entrepreneurs and businesswomen to become capable to win bread for their families.

The Restaurant Chef Maryam Amiri told Pajhwok that she felt calm and safe in her working environment and she cooked four types of food (Mantoo, Ashak, Bulani & Sambosa) and accepted orders out of the restaurant.

She added were no men staffs in the restaurant and all of the services were provided for the female customers by females.

She as a bread winner of her family said, such working environments are needed all over the city of Herat for females especially.

The customers of this restaurant also said they felt very comfortable in this restaurant and by visiting this place with their family members they experienced a different environment.

One of the customers of this restaurant Hamida said that she bought ready food from this restaurant for her family or served the food here in this restaurant.

She added, so far they arranged some invitations and ceremonial programs in this restaurant, they all felt safe and comfortable because of the all females staffers.

Some of the experts of economic affairs believe that the private sector, women's business supporting organizations and the government should expand the field of women's business in the country.

Economic Affairs Expert Gullab Haidari said the Afghanistan Chambers and Commerce and Investment (ACCI) has to play a major role in the promotion of businesswomen and entrepreneurs and there was need for these institutions to introduce new ways of promoting women businesses.

Bahar Saljoqi, head of the Women Chambers, Commerce and Investment (WCCI) referring to the growing women entrepreneur interest in the business said the WCCI had taken steps to create more opportunities for business women.

However, the officials of the local administration said that they had provided all the necessary facilities to the traders and also cooperating with the businesspeople.

Maulvi Nisar Ahmad Ilyas, the governor’s spokesman, that they were cooperating with businessmen and a lot of efforts had been made in this regard.

According to Ilyas, the local administration was creating a suitable environment for commercial activities in this province and has also organized several exhibitions to support businessmen, especially women businessmen.

According to the WACCI officials, currently 560 women in Herat are engaged in business activities officially and more than ten thousand others are engaged in informal business activities, of which twenty to thirty percent of them are involved in modern trade and the rest of them trade traditionally.

Aw/nh