The New Nation - Internet Edition

BUSINESS REPORT

A training workshop on 'Managerial Skills Development for Women Entrepreneurs' (WE) was organised at the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly with BRAC Bank Ltd with a view to enhancing managerial skills of women entrepreneurs in commemoration of the International Women's Day-2008.

The objectives of the workshop are to enhance capacities of women entrepreneurs so that they can be successful both at home and abroad with competitive products.

General Manager of Bangladesh Bank Dasgupta Ashim Kumar was present in the inaugural session to inform the women entrepreneurs about the willingness of Bangladesh Bank to help them in getting finance.

He informed that Bangladesh Bank has a refinancing scheme in operation of Tk 1.0 billion (Tk 100 crore) to be disbursed to women entrepreneurs at a lower interest rate.

The decisions of Bangladesh Bank in that respect is that if a scheduled bank provides loan to SME women entrepreneurs at 5.0 per cent interest rate, the BB will refinance them at the bank rate of 5.0 per cent.

He informed that though BRAC Bank had been successful in disbursing SME loan to women entrepreneurs, they were not taking the benefits of refinancing provided by the Bangladesh Bank.

He said the Bangladesh Bank is ready to extend any sort of advisory services to the SME entrepreneurs and specifically women entrepreneurs.

Safina Rahman, a successful women entrepreneur and coordinating director of Women Entrepreneurship Development (WED) and Product Diversification Standing Committee (S/C), while elaborating the role of the SMEs informed DCCI's activities in collaborating and counseling women entrepreneurs to build their capacities. She informed that women are born managers and have inherent qualities to be a successful manager.

Omar Faruque, former director and convener WED and Product Diversification S/C of DCCI spelt out the objectives of the Women's Day and said if we are not organised and unified it is not possible to advocate and lobby at the highest level of the bureaucracy to acknowledge the role of women entrepreneurs

The programme was moderated by Ms Ferdaus Ara Begum, additional secretary of DCCI who spoke about the historical perspectives of the observation of International Women's Day (IWD). She further informed that in some developed and developing countries, IWD was declared a holiday.

"We may also advocate declaring the day as a holiday with an objective of recognizing the role of women in the economic development," she added.