Business Desk :
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Sunday underscored the need for developing skills of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) entrepreneurs to develop the country.
“The SME Foundation is providing all kinds of support to SME entrepreneurs in the country. Under the direction of the Ministry of Industries, the SME Foundation is working to produce products, create market connections and develop the skills of small and medium entrepreneurs across the country,” he said.
The minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at a webinar marking the ‘MSME Day 2021’, said a press release.
Humayun expressed hope that the products of the country’s entrepreneurs will gradually conquer the world.
He mentioned that even in Covid-19, small entrepreneurs are setting up small businesses in remote villages of the country.
Now, they need to develop their skills, he added.
He also hoped that the development activities of the SME Foundation would further strengthen the efforts to create skilled entrepreneurs in the country.
He laid emphasis on allocating funds to the SME Foundation on a regular basis every year.
State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Md Akhter Hossain, Industries Secretary Zakia Sultana and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) President Md Jasim Uddin joined the webinar as special guests.
UNIDO’s Regional Representative for South Asia Van Berkel Rene joined the webinar as the guest of honour.
SME Foundation Chairperson Professor Dr Md Masudur Rahman presided over the event.
Kamal Ahmed Mojumder said at present, the contribution of SME sector to the economy of Bangladesh is 25 percent.
The SME policy 2019 aims to increase the contribution of the SME sector to 32 percent by 2024, he added.
He said that out of more than 78,13,000 industrial establishments in the country, more than 99 per cent are cottages, micro, small and medium enterprises.
The SME Foundation is working to further increase the contribution of the MSME sector to the economy and create a supportive environment for them, he added.
