A three-day fair to promote women entrepreneurs and their products began at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy premises on Thursday. The event is being organized by Bangladesh Bank.
Speaker of the Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury inaugurated the fair, titled “Banker-SME Women Entrepreneur and Product Display-2018,” as the chief guest.
She said: “Although women have played an important role in Bangladesh’s economic development, their participation in the formal economic sector is still very poor.”
She called for bankers to ensure access to credit for women entrepreneurs as well as for increasing women’s business literacy with a view to promoting their stake in the economy.
“Women should not be kept captive within only small-cottage industries and sewing embroidery products. They should come up with new businesses like establishing women-run day-care centers and super markets,” she added.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir asked bankers to keep confidence in female entrepreneurs when giving them loans.
“Bangladesh Bank has set a target for the banks to disburse 25% of their total credit to the SME sector by 2025. In a bid to promoting women entrepreneurs, we have also asked banks to give 10% of their total loans to women SME entrepreneurs.”
Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB) Chairman Syed Mahbubur Rahman said that women entrepreneurs are good borrowers as their default rate is lower than that of men.
“The women entrepreneurs should create a network among themselves so that they can improve their business quality as well as help start-ups,” he added
Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Abu Hena Mohd Razee Hassan also spoke at the event, among others.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
