Women Business Prize 2025 – Afghanistan
The Women Business Prize is the national award launched by Nove Caring Humans to recognize and support female entrepreneurship in Afghanistan — a country where it is extremely difficult for women to work, move freely, and have their voices heard.
A pioneering initiative that blends vision, commitment, and diplomacy.
“We created this prize to encourage Afghan women to start or grow their businesses, despite the obstacles they face”
– Susanna Fioretti, co-founder of Nove
A simple yet ambitious idea: to provide tools for developing economic activities and female employment, and to create connections between Afghan, Italian, and international women entrepreneurs.
The national call, authorized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Islamic Emirate, received an overwhelming response in less than a month: over 140 applications were submitted from across the country in just a few days—even from remote areas often excluded from mainstream economic circuits.
All the submitted projects share a common thread: a strong focus on long-term sustainability, women’s empowerment, quality of work, and training for the most vulnerable women. Entrepreneurship becomes a tool for recovery, inclusion, and female solidarity. The award aims to act as a bridge between Western and Afghan women entrepreneurs to strengthen development and promote women as key agents of change.
Winners of the First Edition (July 2025)
On July 7, 2025, the final round of the first edition of the Women Business Prize took place in Kabul. The international jury selected three initiatives — all conceived and led by women — that exemplify vision, resilience, and social impact:
Nahid Neda Trading and Construction Company (Kabul)
A solid business in logistics, industrial supplies, and construction with a clear strategic vision. Its strength lies in bringing women into key sectors traditionally dominated by men, opening up new spaces for female participation.
Alara Innovation Team and Local Production (Mazar-e-Sharif)
A project to produce and distribute reusable sanitary pads, addressing a health emergency, the high cost of imported products, and the environmental impact of disposable materials. A simple yet revolutionary idea for women’s health and sustainability.
Shahdin Nili (Daikundi)
A business idea to create a female-led supply chain dedicated to the production of natural preserves, enhancing local resources, turning waste into value, and generating income for women. A project designed to create employment in rural areas and provide stable income to the most marginalized women.
In addition to cash prizes, the winners will participate in a three-month mentoring program with local and international experts, to consolidate their businesses, strengthen their management skills, and develop growth strategies.
“My life has been hard, but I don’t regret it. It made me strong. I don’t want to be something rare anymore, like a pilot. I want to be a businesswoman to help children and poor women, because I know how painful it is to be betrayed by society just because you are poor.”
– Nasrin Mawlany (Second prize winner)
A Growing Platform
The Women Business Prize is designed to be a seed that grows each year. This first edition has revealed an extraordinary surge of female entrepreneurial energy in Afghanistan—an energy ready to take root if supported with trust and the right tools.
For autumn 2025, an international working group is already being organized, where Afghan women entrepreneurs will meet directly with entrepreneurs from Italy and other countries to jointly develop solutions to the most pressing challenges they face: access to credit, training, distribution networks, and market visibility.
Our goal is to make the Women Business Prize an annual event that generates long-term opportunities and real employment for Afghan women.
The Women Business Prize is not just a competition. It is a meeting space, a platform for exchange, a forward-looking project designed to give continuity to those female energies that too often remain invisible.
An open opportunity for new partners, donors, and organizations to join the upcoming editions: together, we can grow this platform, strengthen Afghan women-owned businesses, and contribute to a more just and sustainable future.
The three winners of the Women Business Prize