"We are referring to existing small and medium enterprise owners, new entrants and retired persons who are planning to enter business and need to be supported and also unemployed youths, "said Zulfikar Thaver, president of Union of Small & Medium Enterprises (Unisame) while addressing a gathering of prospective SME investors at the unions office on Saturday afternoon.
He said that the requirements of a newcomer are information and know-how, finance, premises to carry on activities, materials to accomplish the desired results and making of a system. Information about the prospective venture is the key issue and SMEs have to run from pillar to post to obtain the facts and figures.
No organisation worthy of being called a SME promotion organisation is complete unless it can support a SME in the establishment of business and the overcoming of the above mentioned aspects. The ED must be well equipped with all the tools required for the development of the entrepreneur.
An ED organisation must have a panel of banks and development financial institutions on its list and also institutions like Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and other technical turnkey consultants and estate broker and infrastructure developers to offer complete services under one roof to prospective investors.
ED involves giving complete guidance to the prospective investor who is seeking full information and help, depending on the organisation.
Unisame has begun with establishing one 'Unisame Rehnumai Centre' at shop 44 National Auto Plaza, Marston Road, Karachi, and has programme to establish such centres all over Pakistan.
The Small & Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) has assured full support and Unisame has requested PCSIR to support its agenda of capacity building for SMEs.
Other speakers also emphasised the need for the establishment of Liaison Committees to deal with the intimidation of SMEs, especially the new comers in the business who are afraid because of different agencies that bother them.
Unisame has proposed to the government to set up SME Liaison Committees all over Pakistan to shield the SMEs and is looking forward to the approval. The matter has been sent to the concerned quarters for examination and it is believed that the same is under serious consideration.
It is hoped that the proposal would be approved and SME-LCs would be established all over Pakistan.-PR