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"A local businesswoman here has called on the government to ease red tape for women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia.<br>Current regulations and bureaucracy is hampering the development of businesses run by women, said Aisha Natu. <br>“Women don’t only want to be seen, they want to actively participate and translate their aspirations into reality.”<br>Natu said she uses her weekly column in a local Saudi newspaper to write about the challenges facing women. <br>“I am not a writer but a citizen wanting the nation to know how women are suffering in terms of having to deal with various laws and procedures.”<br>Natu said she was always encouraged by her parents to be a staunch Muslim and work hard. <br>She completed an arts degree and then constructed a building close to the Grand Mosque in Makkah. <br>“When the project was successful, I started to think that I could be a businesswoman. I never planned it, but this building played a role in shaping my future,” she said. <br>She became the head of the board of directors for Eye to Eye Optics, a company that was started in 1990, and became one of the 27 fastest growing firms in Saudi Arabia.  The company then split into three, which included optometry, training, and advertising and media.<br>She now runs the three companies, which has 100 employees. “I’m part of the team and we are all part of this success.” <br>Other Saudi businesswomen have also complained about bureaucratic hurdles in the past."
<https://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/677146>