Sahar Madani, founder of the Women Empowerment Group, which is based in Dubai and aims to help female entrepreneurs in the Gulf. |
Dubai Contrary to popular perception, female entrepreneurs have been
at the forefront of the UAE's small business space as much as their male
counterparts. It has been particularly so since 2008 when a host of
factors, both macro-economic and personal, came together to create
opportunities for women to get into business.
The newly created Women Empowerment Group aspires to be something
more than a networking platform for successful female-owned businesses.
According to Sahar Madani, founder of the not-for-profit entity,
the intention is to live up to its name, particularly the ‘empowerment'
part.
"Our focus is much more than generating opportunities for businesses for the women in the Gulf," she said.
Article continues below
"We aim to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and improve the
quality of life by creating awareness and empowering them with equal
opportunities.
"Women's empowerment is an ongoing process rather than a product.
One does not arrive at a stage of being empowered in some absolute
sense.
Gulf-wide exposure
"For anyone can be empowered, or disempowered, relative to others or relative to themselves from a previous time."
A start has been made with more than 300 members having signed
up. There is an operating board that has been tasked with seeing it
through the crucial launch phase.
While the launch took place in the UAE, the founders want to
scale up the operations immediately and give the entity a Gulf-wide
exposure. That may well provide it with a more receptive audience given
that women-owned businesses are less prolific there than in the UAE.
"The primary obstacle is access to capital for the business
venture, where aspiring women entrepreneurs lack knowledge of the
funding options available," Sahar said. "Then, there is little knowledge
of the processes of accessing funds. Because of this, women's access to
regional markets is limited.
"As per our research, some aspiring women entrepreneurs lack the
self-confidence necessary to overcome the challenges they face in
securing investment in their start-ups. Therefore, the issue is not just
about access to capital, but also about how to manage it.