LAHORE - The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in collaboration with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) Tuesday launched a vast outreach project of radio programmes for women entrepreneurs to create greater awareness among them for running successful business. The launching ceremony was jointly performed by Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, LCCI President Mian Muzaffar Ali, Senior Programme Manager CIPE Hammad Siddiqui and Convener LCCI Standing Committee on Women Entrepreneurs Development Ms Aasia Siaal Khan. LCCI Senior Vice President Tahir Javaid Malik also addressed the ceremony. In his inaugural remarks, the Provincial Minister, while paying rich tributes to the LCCI and CIPE for joining hands on the subject of updating women with latest business-related information, said that the radio programmes would go a long way in bringing more women into the field of business. He said the programmes would definitely help equip the women with lower level of education to better understand the concepts involved in operating a business from home in a versatile way. Speaking on the occasion, the LCCI President Mian Muzaffar Ali said that during the last couple of years an increased participation of women in economic activities has been witnessed. Their economic activities are no more confined to traditional trades but one can see them even in running and managing of businesses of their own, working as career women in the service sector such as marketing, banking, information technology, armed forces of Pakistan, media, traffic management, Civil Service of Pakistan. But despite this happy development, the women still lack access to information about available opportunities for their economic well-being, entrepreneurial skills, procedures, business codes etc. Therefore, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with CIPE has decided to bring the women in the mainstream business activities and to facilitate them in setting up their enterprises through radio broadcasts. Convener LCCI Standing Committee on Women Entrepreneurs Development Ms Aasia Siaal Khan said that radio programmes would help ensure participation of more and more women in businesses. She said that women comprising more than half of Pakistans population and without their representation in the businesses it is not possible for the country to achieve required goals. About Radio programmes, she said that the series of broadcasts transmitted all over Pakistan would be based on interviews of high achieving women entrepreneurs who have braved all the difficulties to become successful business women. Senior Programme Manager CIPE Hammad Siddiqui said that the very objective of the radio broadcasts is to increase access to information for women so that they could be able to run their businesses in a winsome manner. He said that the programmes would focus on cottage industries, livestock, farming, dairy products and traditional crafts. He said that the CIPE partners with business associations, think tanks and other private sector organisations in countries where there is both a need for progress and an opportunity for reform. CIPEs institutional approach to development recognises that changes will not occur overnight and a long-term commitment is needed for reforms to succeed. Ms. Tasneem Ahmad, Director Uks said that radio Pakistan has agreed to broadcast this programmes not only in Pakistan but in 55 countries across the globe.