SECWAC Presents: Manizha Wafeq on “How Supporting Afghan Women Makes America Safer, Stronger, and More Prosperous”

🌍 About the Speaker:

Manizha Wafeq, an Afghan-American, is an International Development expert focused on the economic empowerment of women and girls. She has been a strong policy advocate and speaker on women's rights topics. Her persistent advocacy work led to the creation of the Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI). Her influential lobbying skills resulted in the approval of several policy recommendations, including the 5% preferential clause in the government's national procurement procedure and the allocation of 15-25% of industrial parks’ land to small, medium, and women-owned businesses in the national industrial park policy before the Taliban takeover in 2021. With over 20 years of experience in development, she has positively impacted the lives of thousands of women. In her role as Program Director and trainer for the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program, she has directly trained and mentored over 800 women from more than 17 provinces in the last 19 years. She 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, who was the first Muslim woman trader. Furthermore, she established a nonprofit and an online sales portal, madebyafghanwomen.com, to support Afghan businesswomen after the Taliban's takeover in August 2021. She has received several awards, including the Enterprising Women Magazine's Advocacy and Leadership Award, the Leadership Award from the National Business Association of the US, and the Young Activist Award from the Afghan Women's Network and the Afghan Parliament. She also won the award for the best membership services and entrepreneurship development of SMEs at the 11th World Chambers Congress. She holds an MBA from the American University of Afghanistan and is the mother of 10-year-old Tasnim. Recently, she co-curated an Afghan women’s global business forum in Washington, D.C., bringing Afghan women entrepreneurs from the diaspora in the US, Europe, and Canada to discuss business opportunities with Afghan women inside the country.