In Pakistan, discussions on women’s empowerment have long hovered between symbolism and intent, often producing visibility without viability and participation without power. While policy rhetoric has grown more confident over the years, economic outcomes for women have remained modest. Punjab’s upcoming Women Entrepreneurial Punjab Expo (WEPX 2026), scheduled for January 8 and 9 in Lahore, offers a timely opportunity to examine whether a declared political vision – Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Women First agenda – can be converted into measurable economic gains for women.
Organised by the Women Development Department, WEPX 2026 will bring together more than 600 women entrepreneurs from across the province. Its significance lies not merely in scale, but in intent. Rather than framing women as recipients of welfare or social protection, the expo positions them as economic actors – business owners, producers and contributors to growth. This approach aligns directly with the chief minister’s repeated assertion that Punjab’s economic revival cannot be sustained if women remain marginal to markets, capital and enterprise.
Since assuming office, Maryam Nawaz Sharif has articulated Women First not as a slogan, but as a development framework that integrates women’s economic participation into the province’s broader growth strategy. The value of this vision lies in its institutional framing. Women-centred initiatives are no longer being treated as parallel social interventions; they are being embedded within economic planning, entrepreneurship promotion and skills development. WEPX 2026 emerges from this policy logic, serving as a practical expression of that vision.
Expos and exhibitions, however, have a mixed record when it comes to economic transformation. Too often, they prioritise display over disruption, offering temporary platforms that do little to dismantle the structural barriers faced by women entrepreneurs. These barriers are well documented: limited access to finance, restricted mobility, informal business status, weak market linkages and exclusion from professional networks. Without targeted interventions, women-led enterprises – particularly micro and home-based businesses – struggle to grow beyond subsistence.
Data-driven governance, improved service delivery and transparency are essential if women-focused programmes are to move beyond slogans and deliver results.
WEPX 2026 attempts to address these constraints by reimagining the expo as a market access and linkage initiative rather than a ceremonial showcase. Free stalls, sector-specific engagement, structured networking sessions and founder-led discussions are designed to connect women entrepreneurs directly with buyers, investors, regulators and policymakers. The emphasis is deliberately placed on commercial viability, scalability and sustainability – priorities that reflect the chief minister’s broader focus on economic outcomes rather than symbolic inclusion.
The context in which WEPX is being held underscores its relevance. Pakistan continues to rank among the lowest countries globally in women’s labour force participation, and Punjab, despite its economic weight, reflects similar patterns. A significant share of women’s economic activity remains informal and undervalued, contributing to household resilience but rarely integrating into formal markets or value chains. Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Women First vision acknowledges this gap and frames women’s entrepreneurship as an underutilised growth driver rather than a social afterthought.
Parliamentary Secretary for Women Development Sadia Taimour’s characterisation of WEPX as an extension of the Women First agenda reflects a notable shift in policy orientation. Her emphasis on facilitation over advocacy signals a move away from awareness-centred approaches towards access-driven interventions. In economic terms, empowerment is not achieved through messaging alone; it requires pathways to markets, capital, skills and networks. WEPX’s success will depend on whether it can meaningfully open these pathways for participating entrepreneurs.
Importantly, WEPX does not operate in isolation. It is aligned with a broader ecosystem of initiatives under the Annual Development Programme 2025-26, including entrepreneurship promotion schemes, vocational and technical skills training, youth pitch competitions, digital reforms and the establishment of Women Business Incubation Centres across major cities. This policy continuity reflects the chief minister’s emphasis on sustainability. Economic empowerment, as envisioned under Women First, is not event-based; it is institutional, long-term and cumulative.
The Women Development Department’s focus on digitalisation further complements this vision. Data-driven governance, improved service delivery and transparency are essential if women-focused programmes are to move beyond slogans and deliver results. Investments in digital skills and platforms are particularly relevant for younger women entrepreneurs, for whom online marketplaces increasingly define access to customers and capital. These reforms indicate an understanding that women’s economic inclusion must evolve alongside changing modes of work and enterprise. Yet, the true test of WEPX 2026 will lie beyond its two-day duration. Its impact will not be measured by footfall, media coverage or ceremonial optics, but by outcomes: new market linkages, sustained buyer relationships, access to finance and policy feedback loops that inform future economic planning. Without systematic follow-through, even well-designed platforms risk becoming episodic rather than transformative.
WEPX should therefore be seen as a litmus test of Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Women First vision in practice. The political commitment appears clear, and the institutional groundwork is being laid. Whether this commitment translates into lasting economic change will depend on continuity, accountability and a willingness to address structural barriers that extend far beyond exhibition halls. If WEPX 2026 succeeds in moving women-led businesses closer to formal markets and sustainable growth trajectories, it could mark a meaningful shift in how women’s economic participation is approached in Punjab. If it does not, it will still reinforce an essential lesson: empowerment, to be real, must be economic – and economic policy, to be effective, must place women not at the margins, but at the centre.
The writer is a public policy analyst and a PhD scholar. She can be reached at uzmarubab200 @gmail.com