MANIZHA WAFEQ
MANIZHA WAFEQ
Peace Through Business Program Director
Afghanistan
Manizha has 19 years of experience in development, 15 with a focus on women’s empowerment and gender equality working with international, government and non-governmental organizations. In addition to being a mother, an advocate, and an entrepreneur, she earned an MBA from the American University of Afghanistan in 2017.
She co-founded several organizations to advocate for women’s economic empowerment, including the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® Network and Leading Entrepreneurs for Afghanistan’s Development (LEAD), a predecessor organization to the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI).
Her persistent and influential lobbying skills resulted in the transformation of LEAD into a women’s chamber of commerce, which garnered more attention and influence to businesswomen around the country. In just 1½ years of AWCCI’s life, several policy recommendations were incorporated and approved.
Among them, a 5% preference clause in the national procurement procedure of the government and 15-25% of industrial parks to be allocated to small, medium and women-owned businesses in the national industrial park’s policy.
Manizha Wafeq graduated from the inaugural PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® class in 2007 and is currently teaching her 14th year of PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® training in Kabul as the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women’s In-Country Facilitator for Afghanistan. In this role, she has taught and mentored more than 500 Afghan businesswomen from Kabul and over 17 provinces.
She is co-author of a training manual on Business Start-ups and a “Gender and the Legal Framework of Afghanistan” training manual.
She is the Winner of several awards such as the Enterprising Women Award Global Award, Leadership Award from the National Business Association of the US, and Young Activist Award from the Afghan Women’s Network and the Afghan Lower House of the Parliament.
Manizha has established gender units within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and trained their staff. She trained more than 500 government employees on gender concepts in Kabul and other provinces.
Manizha also founded the Bibi Khadija Award; An annual award honoring successful businesswomen and role models in Afghanistan. The award is named after the Prophet Mohammad’s wife, the first Muslim woman trader.