Women Leadership Summit 2025 unveils 19-point insights to empower women

KATHMANDU: Women Leadership Summit 2025 concluded with 19-point insights and recommendations to empower women and advance sustainable economic growth.

Chief guest Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the summit organised by the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS). In his address at the inauguration, Prime Minister Oli emphasised the need for positive changes across all sectors of society through equal participation of women and men.

A dossier containing the insights and recommendations was unveiled at the event following four panel discussions and two presentations held on Sunday.

The recommendations emphasise empowering women in entrepreneurship, agriculture, and leadership. They advocate for subsidised training programmes tailored to women entrepreneurs, focusing on sustainable technology practices and digital tools for business management. The dossier also suggests offering technology grants or low-interest loans to women-led businesses to adopt green technologies, reducing environmental impacts and fostering sustainability.

It highlights the necessity of networking platforms—both online and in-person—where women entrepreneurs can share ideas and innovations, ensuring cultural sensitivity and local ownership in adopting global models. Proposed government-backed initiatives include improving access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education to promote innovation.

Improving women farmers’ access to climate-smart technologies, such as drought-resistant crops and advanced irrigation systems, emerged as another major recommendation. Training in agroforestry, soil conservation, and water management was urged to enhance productivity and environmental sustainability. Continued land registration reforms to secure equal land rights for women were strongly endorsed.

Other recommendations include women-focused financial programmes, promoting water-saving techniques like rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation, and creating a national water management strategy with local community involvement. Recognising women-led agricultural cooperatives to expand market access and ensure fair pricing was emphasised, along with empowering women through digital platforms for market linkages and e-commerce.

The dossier also calls for equal pay legislation to ensure wage parity, incentives for female entrepreneurship through funding programmes and tax breaks, and allocating at least 20% of public procurement to women-led enterprises. Additional suggestions include enhancing maternity leave policies, celebrating women’s achievements, and establishing supportive networks to combat gender stereotypes in leadership roles.

The summit included four thematic panels: “Technology and Innovation – The Role of Tech in Enhancing Sustainable Business”; “Women in Sustainable Agriculture”; “Investing in Women – Unlocking Economic Growth and Employment”; and “Beyond Boundaries – Women Redefining Success.” Distinguished speakers included Sunaina Ghimire Pandey, Maheshwar Dhakal, Mona Shrestha Adhikari, and Neera Adhikari.

The event also showcased rising entrepreneurs like Surakshya Adhikari, co-founder of Thulo.com, and Rubita Magar, co-founder of Mach24 Orbitals. Presentations by Dr Shweta Adatia, neurologist, and Sneh Rajbhandari, Public Affairs Director at Coca-Cola Nepal, further enriched the discussions.

The insights and recommendations are expected to shape future government policies, strengthen women’s leadership, and contribute to Nepal’s overall economic development.

19-point insights and recommendations: 

1. Implement subsidised training programmes tailored to women entrepreneurs, emphasising sustainable technology practices. These programmes should include digital tools for business management and sustainable technology solutions to equip women with the knowledge and skills to utilise technology effectively and sustainably in their businesses.
2. Provide technology grants or low-interest loans to women-owned businesses, enabling them to acquire or upgrade to green technologies to reduce their environmental impact and enhance the sustainability of their operations.
3. Establish online and in-person networking platforms where women entrepreneurs can connect, share best practices, and exchange innovations in technology use. These platforms should provide forums, training opportunities, and collaborative spaces to explore sustainable technology options, promoting innovative ideas and emerging best practices. When global business models are adopted in Nepal, care must be taken to respect local cultural contexts and ground-level needs, ensuring local ownership of agendas and activities.
4. Facilitate government-backed initiatives advocating policies to support women in technology and empowering them to utilise technology sustainably and drive innovation in their businesses. This could include promoting access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education for women.
5. Improve women farmers’ access to climate-smart agricultural technologies, such as drought-resistant crops and innovative irrigation techniques, to help them adapt to changing weather patterns. Training programmes in agroforestry, soil conservation, water management, and integrated pest control can enhance productivity while addressing environmental challenges.
6. Encourage and continue the Nepalese Government’s vital land registration reforms to ensure equal land rights for women.
7. Financial institutions should offer women-friendly microfinance programmes, grants, and insurance schemes to mitigate climate-related risks.
8. Promote water-saving techniques, such as rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, and wastewater recycling, to help women manage scarce resources efficiently. Community-led water governance strategies that involve women in decision-making can ensure equitable distribution and sustainable use of water, which is often sensitive to family needs. The Government should be urged to oversee the development of a national integrated water management strategy, engaging local communities to address challenges and ensure the localisation of federal policies and interventions.
9. Improve recognition of women-led agricultural cooperatives to strengthen their bargaining power, improve market access, and secure fair pricing for their produce.
10. Develop digital platforms for market linkages, supply chain integration, and e-commerce to enhance economic opportunities for women in agriculture.
11. Enact equal pay legislation to ensure wage parity for women and men across all sectors. This would increase women’s purchasing power and contribute to economic growth.
12. Promote female entrepreneurship by creating funding programmes and offering tax incentives for women-owned businesses, leading to job creation, innovation, and economic diversification.
13. Emphasise public procurement policies that require at least 20% of goods and services for government organisations to be procured from women entrepreneurs or women-led enterprises.
14. Enhance access to education and training programmes specifically tailored for women, particularly in STEM fields. This would increase the number of skilled women in the workforce, fostering innovation and boosting productivity.
15. Improve maternity and maternal leave policies to help women balance family and career, increasing female workforce participation, retaining talent, and positively impacting economic growth.
16. Encourage women leaders to recognise that success is contextual and personal. Success for one person may look very different from the achievements of another, and these differences should be valued and celebrated.
17. Organisations should actively promote the accomplishments and contributions of women to reinforce their significance in organisational success. Documenting and reporting women’s stories and achievements is a crucial tool for breaking the glass ceiling and promoting broader equality of opportunity.
18. Create supportive networks to break down gender stereotypes in leadership roles. These networks should include additional events, such as the CNI Women Leadership Summit, and regular interactions with women leaders from all sectors and levels.
19. Interventions should target mindset and address the instinctive and internal barriers that hold women back, encouraging them to push beyond societal limitations. This effort should include raising gender awareness in schools, universities, and businesses.

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