ISLAMABAD - Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) plans to establish 14 Women Business Development Centres (WBDC) in major industrial and commercial cities throughout Pakistan with the objective of facilitating and promoting women entrepreneurship in the country. Muhammad Alamgir Chaudhary, Punjab Chief of SMEDA stated this on Friday while addressing a seminar on women entrepreneurs at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI). The seminar was jointly organised by SMEDA and ICCI. He said that government would give funds for these centres to provide hands-on support for women entrepreneurs in an exclusive female oriented environment. In these Centres, all required facilities like offices, exhibition and display facility and business development services (including training programmes) would be offered to women entrepreneurs under one roof. The entire effort is focused at encouraging new business start-ups and support to existing businesses including the right environment for nurturing women owned and managed businesses to an extent that these become sustainable, specifically, in start-up period (first 5 years) when they are most vulnerable, he added. The centres would also serve as working place on temporary basis for women entrepreneurs performing businesses at their homes. After establishing of businesses at incubators, the businesswomen would shift to a suitable place, he added. Muhammad Ishtiaq Qureshi, Vice President, ICCI also spoke on the occasion and said that out of total 3.2 million small and medium enterprises in Pakistan, women enterprises represented only 3 per cent, which demands revolutionary measures to enhance their role in business world. He lauded the initiative of SMEDA to establish Women Business Development Centres across the country and hoped that such centres would provide valuable support to the prospective women entrepreneurs in actualising their dreams.