Small & Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences) Peshawar entered into an agreement for a joint operation of Women Business Development Centre (WBDC) in the provincial metropolis of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A formal MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) in this regard was signed by Provincial Chief, SMEDA Javed Iqbal Khattak and Director of IMSciences Dr Mohsin, Director. WBDC, a project of SMEDA aimed at providing an exclusive female oriented environment, for those women who want to establish an office in a commercial area albeit a new start-up or home-based business, was started in June 2010 at the Directorate of Social Welfare Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, after the expiry of the specified period, the provincial government declined to extend the memorandum rendering the centre closed for a period of seven months.
The entire effort is focused at encouraging new business start-ups and supporting existing businesses under the supervision of business management professionals in hassle free environment; ideal for nurturing women owned and managed businesses to an extent that they become sustainable and more specifically during start-up period. The project will provide short-term and long-term benefits to women entrepreneurs including the provision of administrative and secretarial support, office space & display, professional services of experts & consultants in areas such as legal, marketing, finance, accounting, product development and others as requested by WBDC clients or as envisioned by SMEDA.
Similarly, it will also provide business to business linkup and business match-making, business plan development services, opportunities to women entrepreneurs to participate in relevant seminars, workshops and training courses, product display/exhibition facility, information dissemination and active liaison with different institutions, government departments and local and international NGOs working for the promotion of women entrepreneurship including but not limited to educational institutions and private sector business services providers.
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