Ba-Ikhtiar Project
Phase-II
BUDGET
PKR 303.50 million
DURATION
July 2025 – December 2026
Partners
Punjab
ADO, AGAHE, CHEF, FACE, FDO, KWH, MOJAZ, PLYC, and RCDS
Sindh
AWARE, IET, MDF, MRDO, REPID, SCF, and SSSF
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
CERD, GAAP, GBTI, HEADS, HVSO, NIDA PAK, SALIK, SUNGI, and TWO
Balochistan
BRDS, CPD, OCSD, WESS, WORDS Pakistan, YMSESDO, and YOUTH (YO)
Gilgit Baltistan
GBRSP
COVERAGE
Punjab
Layyah, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, D.G.Khan, Rajanpur, Okara, Kasur, Rawalpindi
Sindh
Sanghar, Thatta, Umerkot
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Haripur, Abbottabad, Mardan, Swabi, Lower Chitral , Upper Chitral
Balochistan
Jaffarabad, Killa Saifullah, Quetta
Gilgit Baltistan
Ghizar, Nagar
The Ba-Ikhtiar Project is a strategic collaboration between the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and PTCL designed to bridge the digital and financial divide for rural women entrepreneurs. By addressing critical barriers to technology and market access, the initiative facilitates a transformative shift from informal micro-enterprises to digitally enabled, sustainable businesses. Building on the success of a pilot phase that equipped young women in Haripur with technical skills and online market linkages, the project has now expanded into Phase II across 22 districts.
This phase aims to empower 2,100 women by providing a comprehensive support ecosystem that includes vocational training, smartphones with dedicated connectivity, and intensive coaching in e-commerce and financial literacy. Participants gain the tools to manage mobile wallets, access microfinance, and leverage digital marketing to reach wider audiences. Beyond individual economic independence, Ba-Ikhtiar fosters long-term household resilience and contributes to global Sustainable Development Goals by integrating marginalised producers into the formal digital economy.
