The Women Business Prize (WBP) is a national award we launched to recognise and support women’s entrepreneurship in Afghanistan. In this country, it is still extremely difficult for women to work, move freely, participate fully in all areas of society, and have their rights respected and upheld.
The goal of WPS is to connect Afghan, Italian, and international women entrepreneurs, providing them with practical tools to expand their businesses and promote employment for other women. Our invitation to apply received a remarkable response within just a few days, including submissions from some of the most remote areas of the country.
These applications reveal an often-overlooked side of Afghanistan: a nation of courageous, determined women who transform traditional crafts into thriving microenterprises, build local training networks, establish sustainable workshops and food supply chains, and develop digital platforms. Across all submissions, one vision stood out: entrepreneurship as a driver of change, inclusion, and female solidarity.
The three initiatives awarded in the first edition of July 2025 are:
- Nahid Neda Trading and Construction Company – A solid enterprise based in Kabul working in logistics, industrial supplies, and construction. A company with a strong strategic vision that involves women in key sectors.
- Alara Innovation Team and Local Production—A project based in Mazar-e-Sharif focused on the production and distribution of reusable sanitary pads. The pads are designed to address a public health emergency, reduce the cost of existing products, and offer an environmentally friendly solution.
- Shahdin Nili – A business idea aimed at creating an all-female supply chain producing natural preserves in the remote province of Daikundi. The initiative is designed to enhance local resources, reduce food waste, and generate employment for women.
Along with a cash prize to invest in their businesses, the winners will receive three months of mentoring to help strengthen their ventures.
This prize is just the beginning. Our goal is to expand it and make it an annual event, capable of generating long-term opportunities for Afghan women-led businesses.
We are already organising a working group for next autumn, where Afghan women entrepreneurs will engage directly with international businesswomen to find concrete solutions to their challenges and needs.
We invite partners, donors, national and international organizations to join us in the upcoming editions of the prize to strengthen and expand this growing platform.”
Susanna Fioretti, Co-founder of NOVE
The international jury that evaluated the business projects and ideas included:
- Ilaria Maggiorotti, Head of Real Estate Strategy at RFI (Italian State Railways Group);
- Helene Martin Gee, President of Savvitas (UK), think tank for women’s economic empowerment;
- Lara Ponti, CEO of Ponti S.p.A. and Vice President of Confindustria for Environmental Transition;
- Teresa Masciopinto, President of Fondazione Finanza Etica;
- Francesca Vecchioni, Founder and President of Fondazione Diversity;
- Beatrice Lucarella, President of the Committee for Women’s Entrepreneurship at the Brindisi-Taranto Chamber of Commerce;
- Cristina Di Silvio, UN and GOEDFA legal advisor;
- Antonella Mariani, Senior Editor at Avvenire;
- Ilaha Eli Omar, Executive Director of Uplift Afghanistan Fund.
This edition of WBP was made possible with the support of the Uplift Afghanistan Fund, a donor of NOVE whose contribution was instrumental to the initiative’s success.
WBP has also been dedicated to the Italian State Railways Group (FS Italiane), in recognition of its ongoing support for NOVE and its concrete commitment to combating discrimination and promoting gender equity.
Women Business Prize 2025 winners:
Nilab Hakimi, Nasrin Mawlany and Marziyeh Arefi.