LAHORE: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) to support entrepreneurship development and new enterprise creation in the country.

SMEDA Chief Executive Officer Hashim Raza and HEC Executive Director Dr Shaista Sohail signed the memorandum on behalf of their respective organizations. Both the organizations kept on holding deliberations over the last few months for implementation of the National SME Policy Action Plan 2020.

To achieve the objective of strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country, various initiatives shall be introduced at higher education institutions of Pakistan. Support to potential entrepreneurs shall be provided through strengthening existing business incubation centres and establishing new ones, where required. Joint conferences, policy dialogues, symposia, training programmes and research activities shall also be undertaken to support existing and potential businesses.

The SMEDA Chief Executive Officer and HEC Executive Director also held a meeting on this occasion to chalk out details of a work plan for implementation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021