SME facilitation projects: SMEDA seeks international donor organisations' help

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has urged the international donor organisations to extend their co-operation in implementation of the SME facilitation projects to be developed by SMEDA.
SMEDA General Manager Central Support Khurram Khan, at a meeting with a delegation of Assessment and Strengthening Programme (ASP), said that Pakistan's SME sector required broad-based intervention for growth, which had not been possible by SMEDA in the full swing due to scarcity of funds.
The funding gap can be bridged with the assistance of international and local donor organisations. Three important programmes have recently been launched by SMEDA with the funding of international donor agencies, that include "Early Recovery & Restoration of Flood Affected Communities Program" and" Legal Empowerment Program for marginalised businesses in Pakistan" funded by UNDP and "Economic Revival of KP and Fata" project funded by World Bank, he added.
Khurram Khan said that there was a huge demand in the private sector for capacity building and training needs. He called upon the ASP to persuade the donor agencies for joining hands with SMEDA to fill this gap in Pakistan. Earlier, in a presentation regarding SMEDA, the ASP delegation was briefed that there were 26 approved PSDP projects for Rs 3. 2 billion under implementation as the common facility centers for SMEs across the country.
Provincial Director ASP Iqbal Ahmad Raja, while exchanging his views regarding SMEDA's contributions towards SME development, said that SMEDA was amongst a few government institutions, which had a very good repute in international donor community. He assured of his fullest co-operation to bring the ASP related donor agencies on board with SMEDA for co-developing the SME facilitation projects, especially in capacity building and training areas.