The New Nation - Internet Edition

A Training Workshop on Managerial Skills Development for Women Entrepreneurs (WEs) was organised at the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly with the BRAC Bank Limited with an objectives to enhance managerial skills of the women entrepreneurs in commemoration of International Women's Day-2008. The objective of the workshop was to enhance capacities of the WEs so that they can sustain both at home and abroad with competitive products.

Dasgupta Ashim Kumar, General Manager, Bangladesh Bank (BB) was present at the inaugural session. He informed the women entrepreneurs about the willingness of the Bangladesh Bank to help them in getting finance. He informed that BB has a refinancing scheme in operation of Tk 100 crore to be disbursed to the women entrepreneurs at a lower interest rate.

The decisions of the BB in that respect is that if a schedule bank provided loan to SME women entrepreneurs at a 5% interest rate, BB will refinance them at the bank rate of 5%. He informed that though BRAC Bank has been successful in disbursing SME loan to women entrepreneurs, they are not taking the benefits of refinancing provided by the BB. He informed that BB is ready to extend any sort of advisory services to the SME entrepreneurs and specifically women entrepreneurs.