The pace of national progress could be accelerated through promoting women entrepreneurship and ensuring their participations in all sorts of economic activities, trade and business, speakers said on Monday afternoon.
They were addressing a regional views-sharing meeting organised by the Women Entrepreneurs’ Development Unit of Rangpur Branch of Bangladesh Bank (BB) here at its conference room with its General Manager Md. Khurshid Alam in the chair.
Six General Managers, 13 Deputy General Managers (DGM) and Member-secretaries, 33 Managers of different leading public and private sector commercial banks along with 55 more participants including government officials, university teachers, women entrepreneurs, chamber leaders, NGO representatives and journalists participated.
General Manager of BB Md. Khurshid Alam narrated massive steps taken by Bangladesh Bank for development of the women entrepreneurs and related policies to indentify real entrepreneurs for providing them with loans and assistance.
Highly lauding the steps taken by BB Governor Dr Atiur Rahman for promoting women entrepreneurs, President of Rangpur Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Anwara Ferdousi Poly stressed for further expanding the SME sector for them.
Citing a series of problems being faced by the women entrepreneurs, she called for further easing the entrepreneurship identification process and loan allocation system for them in enhancing trade, business and SME.
Successful women entrepreneur Nishat Nahar narrated her 12 year long struggles beginning with only Taka 10,000 as basic capital to achieve huge success and become ‘Joyeeta’ for that in Rangpur division this year.
She suggested the banks for searching rural women entrepreneurs and resolving the prevailing problems of guarantors and guarantee for allocating adequate loans at single digit interest rate for their development to further speed up economic advancement.
Presidents Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu of Rangpur Chamber and Shafikul Alam Dablu of Nilphamari Chamber asked for producing skilled women entrepreneurs and providing them adequate loans to enhance their participations in economic activities.
NGO executives Monjusree Saha of RDRS Bangladesh and Enamul Haque of ESDO stressed for providing training to the women entrepreneurs for their skill development in running trade, business and enterprises successfully amid women-friendly atmosphere.
Professor Dr Fahima Khanom of Haji Danesh Science & Technology University and Assistant Professor Azizur Rahman of Begum Rokeya University stressed for a changed social mindset and assist the women entrepreneurs in sustaining their initiatives.
Deputy Director of Rangpur District Women Affairs Department Shamima Akhter Banu suggested for providing adequate training to the women entrepreneurs on accounts keeping and other necessary issues for properly running their business and enterprises.
