Rashid, Chairman of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EPCCI), Tuesday commended the Ministry of Commerce's decision to allow women to run their own businesses without having male managers. Al-Rashid said the decision by the ministry will help the country's development and growth. The ministry's decision comes close on the heels of the historic decision of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, granting women voting rights and a right to sit on the Shoura Council. Al-Rashid said the Ministry of Commerce's decision will help free the money of Saudi women frozen in banks and will allow them to participate more fully in the national economy. This will result in greater investments and more job creation, he added. The ministry's decision, Al-Rashid said, brings an end to the bureaucratic complications which have impeded the progress of Saudi women in general and Saudi businesswomen in particular. He said the condition that required men to run the businesses of women had crippled the participation of Saudi women in the economy.
