QUETTA: About 100 women-led businesses showcased locally produced goods to buyers on Saturday at a two-day trade expo, where provincial officials pledged easier access to business loans and plans to triple exhibition capacity for future entrepreneurs.

The Women Entrepreneurs Expo (WEXNET) opened at the BUITEMS Expo Centre to connect local female founders directly with national and international markets. The Balochistan Board of Investment and Trade organised the event with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

Rubaba Buledi, adviser to the Balochistan chief minister on women’s development, inaugurated the exhibition and announced plans to expand the showcase from 100 stalls to 300 in its next edition.

“The Women Development Department will play an active role in supporting women-led businesses, facilitating financial assistance and access to loans, and addressing the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs,” Buledi said.

Bilal Khan Kakar, vice chairman of the provincial investment board, said the initiative has the full backing of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Federal Minister Jam Kamal Khan to help women build commercial linkages and achieve economic self-reliance.

Shehryar Taj, secretary of the trade authority, said WEXNET has held about 12 exhibitions nationwide since 2000 to link female entrepreneurs with new buyers.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2026