It is our pleasure to present to you our sixth issue of Business LANDSCAPE, a quarterly published magazine that covers a wide range of topics regarding the Iraqi private sector.

This issue is dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging women’s contributions to the Iraqi landscape, recognizing the hurdles and the setbacks, shedding light on the success stories, as well as navigating the way forward for an equitable ecosystem.

We report on the International Women’s Day event, Breaking the Bais, held at KAPITA, where we had a discussion with experts about women’s participation in the job market, private sector, and the entrepreneurial scene, the social and economic hindrances imposed on women. In addition to the underperforming legislative frameworks and policies that do not enable women to take the private sector path.

On the legislative side, we take a look at the role of the labor laws and regulations in recognizing women’s needs and rights. There have been continuous attempts adopted by the International Labor Organization, nations, and governments to address those gaps in the labor laws. Iraq has been no exception, adopting Law No.37 of 2015.

Moving on to the entrepreneurial side. Where the gender disparities are more widespread, which makes the journey of women entrepreneurs more difficult in all different phases, from forming the team and developing the sales to fundraising. We also explore ways in which we can mitigate those challenges for a more inclusive entrepreneurial scene.

Moreover, the gender biases extend into the science and technology fields, where there is a negative perception and lack of participation of women. Thus, to combat that, aspiring Iraqis created inclusive tech training spaces to equip women with the necessary skills to pursue careers in the tech domain.

To understand the reality of women in Iraq, we present an overview of KAPITA’s research, Iraqi Women in Numbers, analyzing the current status and identifying the way forward. The research dives deep into the many challenges, hurdles, and opportunities that Iraqi women face. We analyze the scene from different aspects, including demographics, education, employment, entrepreneurship, and health.

In our series of interviews for this edition, we had the pleasure of meeting Chra Hussain, the chief commercial officer at Asiacell. She shared with us her rich experience of almost two decades in the telecommunications sector, driving the growth of her organization and, consequently, the country’s digital transformation forward. As well as her journey and challenges as a key woman figure in a leading position and how to support and empower women in the workplace and ecosystem.

Basima Abdulrahman, the founder and CEO of KESK, an Iraq-based green solutions company, told us about her story, navigating through the main obstacles surrounding operating a startup in the green energy sector and securing her six figures seed funding. She also addressed how to raise awareness about the green energy sector and its prospects, the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur and founder of a tech-enabled business, and how to enable more women to enter this domain.

Business LANDSCAPE, as part of its efforts to shine the necessary light on women and their inspiring journeys in Iraq, is also presenting a series of profiles of women who stand out by their achievements. Some success stories, amongst the many women’s success stories, are presented in their heroes’ own words.

Business LANDSCAPE looks forward to continuing its mission and contributing to the growth and development of the Iraqi private sector.

We deeply appreciate and thank everyone who contributed to this issue of Business LANDSCAPE and we sincerely thank the GIZ for being an outstanding enabler for us.