Women Entrepreneurs Association of Bangladesh yesterday called upon the government to establish a separate bank for women in a bid to finance their entrepreneurial activities.
WEAB made the call at its programme focusing post-budget discussion and women empowerment as part of economic development.
A host of representatives from a series of organisations took part in the programme and lent their views on women entrepreneurship.
The discussants advocated that a women bank will be able to promote small and medium women entrepreneurs across the country and provide sufficient information about loan.
In her address, WEAB founder president Nasreen Fatema Awal also stressed the need for a separate bank to facilitate financial access for new women entrepreneurs.
She hoped that such a bank will be able to monitor financial transactions and investment in business, apart from maintaining transparency and accountability.
“We demand that the government properly allocate Tk200 crore as declared in the next fiscal budget for women entrepreneurship,” said Nasreen.
The speakers shed light on proper disbursement of the budgetary allocation to give an impetus to entrepreneurial programmes.
They also called for steps to arrange training for businesswomen to develop their skills.
The female population account for half of the total population of Bangladesh and setting them aside, a substantial development cannot be expected, added the speakers.
They said it is high time the government established SME cluster-wise institutions to support businesswomen.
It will not be enough to merely declare a budgetary allocation, advice and proper guidelines should also be necessary to propel them along the right way, suggested the speakers.
Among others, Mrs Shahruk Rahman of WEAB and its first Vice-President Salma Masud were present.
