A program to provide loans to Afghan female entrepreneurs without any interest was launched on Wednesday.
The program was launched by Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where a female entrepreneur could get up to 3,000 US dollars loan from a private bank.
At the program’s launch, a total of $18,000 was provided as loans to nine women from Kabul, Herat and Balkh provinces.
They are expected to repay the loans in one year.
Rahila Sajadi, a female entrepreneur, said that she would use the loan in purchasing handicraft items of female prisoners to sell them in markets.
Manizha Wafiq, head of Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the program would help make entrepreneurship and investment by women in the country to grow.
More than 100,000 women in Afghanistan are carrying out business activities, nearly half of them involved in traditional fields such as handicraft.
Lack of access to market and loans have been considered to be among major problems faced by businesswomen.
