A two-day national convention began Saturday in the city to assess the role of micro-finance institutes (MFIs') in poverty alliviation and social development.
Stakholders from microfinance institutes, microcredit borrowers and microcredit entereprenours across the country shared their success stories at problems at the national convention.
Institute of Micro Finance (IMF), Palli Karma Shahayak Foundation (PKSF) and MicroCredit Regulatory Authority organised the national convention tilled "Towards Poverty Alleviation and Social Development: The Role of MFIs."
State Minister for Finance MA Mannan attended the opening ceremony at PKSF auditorium.
Speakers at the function said the MFI has been playing significant role to allivatiate poverty and social development during the last five yaers. Structural change of the microfinance sector along with competition and increased demand for microcredit has created the necessity to determine the future action plan of MFIs.
Speaking at the programme, State Minister for Finance and Planning stressed the need for strengthening the microcredit sector for public welfare and ensuring a coordinated management among the stakeholders.
"Regulators are making efforts to untilise microcredit for public welfare. Our per capita income can be reaches to US$2400 from $1200 if the effort continues," he said.
Women and Children Affairs State Minister Meher Afroz Chumki and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Finance Dr Abdur Razzak chaired two sessions at the programme. They exchanged views and listened to problems and success of the microcredit entrepreneurs and borrowers.
Ms Chumki underscored the need for imparting adequate training for women entrepreneurs to make the best use of microcredit.
"Bangladesh is moving ahead to become a middle income country with the contribution of workers in readymade garments, agriculture and other sector," she said.
Qazi Kholiquzzaman, PKSF chairman, said the problems should be identified first to eradicate poverty rather than allocating funds only.
Bangladesh Bank deputy governor SK Sur said time has come to identify potentialities of and challenges of microcredit to move ahead.
"The scope has been created to coordinate microfinance sector with the non-bank financial institutions and banking sector," he said.
He appreciated the PKSF's role to capital flow, employment generation and poverty alleviation and MRA's role to institutionalize MFIs.
Microcredit regulatory authority vice-chairman Khandaker Majharul Huq said this is the first national convention of the field-level borrowers and MFIs workers.
He said there will be a discussion today (Sunday) with the policymakers and high-ups of the MFIs on the points raised by the stakeholders Saturday.
A project will be taken to develop human resources through microcredit where a coordinated programme will be initiated with the MFIs and borrowers, he said.
INM executive director, professor MA Baki Khalili said PKSF played an effective role since 90s.
"Some 200 microcredit beneficiaries and 200 field workers attended the programme. They can share untold stories in the programme," he said.
Some ten sessions will be held today (Sunday) at the Bangabandhu International Convention Centre on microcredit.
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