The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) entrepreneurs will get services easily if they are registered in the e-database of the SME Foundation, said Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mohammad Humayun.
He also said that about 99% of the industries and businesses in Bangladesh are currently covered by the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the “Inaugurating Ceremony of the SME e-Database Programme” organized by the SME Foundation in the capital on Thursday.
“The SME sector controls 70% of the country's economic activity and also accounts for 80% to 85% of the total industrial employment of the country,” he added.
He also said that the SME sector supplies 30%-35% of the total domestic industrial demand.
“The SME e-database activities are a very timely initiative. If the information of all SME entrepreneurs of the country is available on a single platform, it will be easier for the government to determine the policy for the development of this sector,” he added.
He also said that such programs will play an important role in the development of the MSME sector, the lifeblood of the economy.
“I think the SME Foundation and A2I deserve to be applauded for this,” he added.
However, The SME Foundation, in collaboration with A2I, has taken initiative to create a nationwide SME e-database.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun inaugurated the pilot program in four upazilas/police stations: Shyampur of Dhaka, Adamdighi of Bogra, Nesharabad of Pirojpur, and Bhairab of Kishoreganj.
The Industries Minister announced the inauguration of the pilot program by uploading and approving all the information of an entrepreneur through a Union Information Center of Bhairab.
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken various initiatives to enrich this largest sector of the country.
“But due to the lack of regularly updated databases, we often had to face various difficulties to speed up various policy decisions regarding the CMSME sector,” he added.
He also said that this initiative of the SME Foundation and A2I is a timely and practical initiative.
“I would like to request A2I to continue this work with the SME Foundation and to come up with a proper plan for how all the CMSMEs in the country can be brought under this database,” he added.
He also requested the A2I and the SME Foundation to work closely with other concerned departments to ensure that all CMSMEs receive all their services from this single platform.
“The SME Foundation and the ICT department could work together to ensure that SME entrepreneurs receive training, funding and various business services,” he added.
Prof Md Masudur Rahman, chairperson of the SME Foundation presided over the ceremony while Prof Md Mafizur Rahman, managing director of the SME Foundation, and Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, project director of the A2I made welcome remarks.
In his welcome speech, Mafizur Rahman said that the SME Policy 2019 aims to increase the contribution of the SME sector to the GDP from the current 25% to 32% by the year 2024.
“The SME e-database, in collaboration with A2I, initiated by the SME Foundation, will play a vital role in shaping government policy in the development of this sector,” he added.
According to the SME Foundation, entrepreneurs can upload their own information for SME e-Database by themselves or with the help of Union Digital Center or through SME Cluster Association by logging on to www.smef.nise.gov.bd.
According to the latest economic survey conducted by the BBS, more than 99% of the country's businesses are under the CMSME sector, employing 7.8 million.