Islamabad (GNP): Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Fatou Harerimana, joined the “Women’s Skills Pakistan’s Pride!” exhibition in Islamabad as a guest speaker, where she was welcomed by Dr. Malik Rubina Awan, Focal Person and Coordinator to the Prime Minister on the Youth Program (KABISTO).
Senator Captain Shaheen Khalid Butt attended as Chief Guest at the event, which put on display an array of handicrafts and other products created by trained Pakistani women, spotlighting their craftsmanship, business drive, and role in economic development.
In her remarks, Harerimana said Rwanda wants to deepen collaboration with Pakistan on women’s entrepreneurship, skills training, and business development. She encouraged the women entrepreneurs at the exhibition to look into partnership and investment prospects in Rwanda, pointing to the forthcoming Pak-Rwanda Investment Forum 2026 in Kigali as an opportunity.
Her visit reflected the two countries’ mutual interest in advancing women’s empowerment and strengthening economic and people-to-people links.
The High Commissioner described Pakistani culture as rich and dignified, and commended the leadership and staff of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) for their work supporting women’s empowerment. She also pledged continued cooperation and support toward improving the lives of low-income women.
Senator Butt, who serves as Managing Director of PBM, formally opened the exhibition, which features goods produced by trainees from PBM’s Women Empowerment Centres nationwide. The two-day event, running August 23–24, was organized by PBM together with the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and the An-Nisa Dastkari School, and is being held at Aiwan-e-Quaid, F-9 Park.
Also present were Rwanda’s Ambassador Harerimana Fatou; Farah Naz Akbar, MNA and Parliamentary Secretary for the National Heritage and Culture Division; representatives of various NGOs; and trainees from PBM’s Women Empowerment Centres.
Senator Butt, accompanied by the guests, toured the exhibition stalls, reviewing the trainees’ work and praising their creativity and commitment.
Addressing attendees, Senator Butt explained that PBM’s women’s empowerment work goes beyond teaching vocational skills — the goal is to build a full pipeline running from skills training through entrepreneurship, market access, and lasting livelihoods.
He stressed the importance of introducing trainees to modern marketing methods, including digital marketing and online sales channels, so their products can reach buyers well beyond their immediate communities. Linking women producers to e-commerce and digital platforms, he added, would let them tap new markets, grow their ventures, and build more reliable income streams.
He thanked PBM’s partner organizations for helping organize the exhibition and stressed that cooperation between government bodies, private businesses, and digital platforms is essential to creating lasting economic opportunities for women throughout Pakistan.
Senator Butt also pointed to recent reforms across PBM’s 165 Women Empowerment Centres, designed to modernize training and better equip women for changing market demands. According to him, PBM’s centres have graduated more than 400,000 trainees to date.
Linking the program to the Prime Minister’s Uraan Pakistan initiative, he said PBM’s broader mission aligns with the national push for inclusive growth by advancing women through skills training, entrepreneurship, market access, and digital participation.
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Farah Naz Akbar also spoke on the value of equipping women with skills, praising PBM’s efforts to build an environment where women can turn their training into lasting economic opportunity — becoming self-sufficient, confident contributors to their communities and to Pakistan’s economy.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
