Role of BWCCI in development of women entrepreneurship

Today it is widely accepted that the women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh are energetic, willing to learn and take risk, innovative, hard working and an important driving force of the economy. Support and assistance are extremely helpful in their bid to graduate from micro to and medium level entrepreneurs. As well-supported women entrepreneurs have the scopes to make a significant impact on competitiveness, job creation and economic growth, a congenial environment toward women entrepreneurs needs to be fostered. But women at the grassroots are not adequately skilled and their lack knowledge of products and design development. They are unaware of the need for market access or having a policy which would boost her enterprise and create gender friendly business environment.  Therefore an institution is very much needed to play a very vital role in the task of identifying the problems of women entrepreneurs, providing training and counselling, for ensuring assess to market, creating opportunities for networking and making advocacy with government for introduction and implementation of appropriate policies. In sum, such an institution is supposed to act as a one stop service centre for overall smooth functioning and growth of their businesses.  Recognizing the potential of women entrepreneurs to play a more effective role in private sector development in the country, Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) was formed to act as a center to assist, activate, inform, organize, and assimilate women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (BWCCI)
Selima Ahmad, a successful business women having long business experience had been involved in several trade organisation, founded the BWCCI acutely feeling the need for a nationwide Chamber of Commerce for women by persuading and mobilizing women entrepreneurs, government and development partners in Bangladesh. The BWCCI, established, on 20th June, 2001, is registered with the registrar of Joint stock Companies and Firms of Bangladesh Government. It is also affiliated with the Federation of the Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) as an 'A' class chamber, since which envisions women's economic empowerment and development for business women and industrialists in Bangladesh. It is a non-profit and non-political organisation, a strong community voice, has been lobbying for women entrepreneurs working in both micro and macro levels to assist not only their growth but also improving their social and economic prospects. The members of the BWCCI are from the entire range of socio-economic continuum. It has already emerged as an advocacy organisation with increased acceptance among cross section of people at the national and the international level. In recognition of its contribution; the BWCCI has achieved UN consultative status with its Economic and Social Council.
From the very beginning, many development partners have extended their support to BWCCI. And BWCCI started projects with Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) USAID, United States Agency for International Development, Asia Foundation, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UK, US Embassy, Dhaka, International Republican Institute (IRI), European Commission, International Development & Relief Foundation (IDRF), Royal, Danish Embassy, Dhaka, Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (HITAL), Canada, Development Cooperation and Economic Affairs, Embassy of  the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dhaka, Trace International, South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF), World Bank Group, Commonwealth Secretariat, Matching Grant Facilities (MGF), World Bank Group, Swiss Contact, Skillfull etc.
The BWCCI is unique because it is an organization for women entrepreneurs that have a business plan in line with its distinctive mission, vision and commitments. From inception the BWCCI has a strategic plan for sustainability, having own income generating activities and the Secretariat and the board of directors worked hard to make it happen. In order to provide different and need based services to  its members helping them grow and sustain in their businesses , promoting micro women entrepreneurs to enter SME and ensure their access to institutional loan and other capacity building facilities, BWCCI started   tailor made services and  own income generating activities to sustain and continue its actions. Due to sincere and relentless efforts to promote women entrepreneurs, the number of member increased from 24 to more 3000 till date. BWCCI is providing services through its branch offices in every divisional city, owns two apartments in Dhaka and constructing a training centre in Gazipur. BWCCI is unique as it introduces the idea of Food Court Incubator for the first time in Bangladesh -Arushi. BWCCI leased a piece of land in the most exotic, posh and costly area in Dhaka city and rented out to its10 members who could not afford to start restaurants in that area. Again BWCCI had taken up a project titled Improvement of livelihood and Food Security of SIDR Affected Rural Women Entrepreneurs through Capacity Building with the assistance of International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF), Canada to contribute to the improvement of livelihood and food security of rural women entrepreneurs by increasing availability and access to food and income generation as well as improving its utilization by the rural women entrepreneurs in two SIDR affected districts of Bangladesh. BWCCI is unique as it takes up conventional as well as non conventional projects-launching of a new project with the assistance of the Royal Danish Embassy that has special attention to indigenous women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. It is being carried out in Rangamati District of which 50% is tribal and 50% is Bengali.  BWCCI is unique as it runs a Hotline center since 2010 for the women entrepreneurs across the country to report problems and concerns related to corruption in confidence through telephone, email or coming at the Hotline center directly.  BWCCI conducted a research on "Impact of Corruption on Women Entrepreneurs" which showed that women entrepreneurs mainly face corruption in three areas - obtaining TIN certificate, Trade license and Bank loan. Since Hotline center started operating, women entrepreneurs now have a place to seek support if they face any corruption or confusion while getting formal business documents or loans.
Studies of BWCCI show women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh lack sustainability. Thus BWCCI believes strengthening of women owned enterprises is greatly important in relation to the sustainability of their business. Strengthening of enterprises includes issues like enterprise development, capacity building, marketing and organizational development.
Keeping these issues in mind BWCCI takes up programs that would strengthen women led enterprises- from designing a business plan to marketing of the product, trainings to networking between and among entrepreneurs and with buyers at home and abroad as well. Need assessment carried out by BWCCI provided required trainings that covered areas like- design and product development, human resource management, good governance and anti corruption. Activities of BWCCI cover indigenous as well as specialized women entrepreneurs who are involved in Silk business. BWCCI's takes great care in monitoring and evaluating the results of the trainings. It provides time to time counseling to the members as well.
Still, appropriate government policies are required to support any national endeavors that can have impacts on women entrepreneurs of the country. The government acknowledges the necessity of women entrepreneurs' contribution to the poverty reduction process and that they are an important driver of the national economy. As such need for gender responsive policies have become an urgent issue as the policies will have significant impacts on women entrepreneurs to have their access to financial resources and services. Central Bank of the country (Bangladesh Bank) and Ministries like Ministry of Industries, Finance and Commerce, other government agencies like SME Foundation and PFIs have taken policies for facilitating and promoting women entrepreneurships in Bangladesh by provisioning affirmative discrimination for women entrepreneurs like- Policies of Bangladesh Bank, Industrial Policy 2010, Export Policy 2009-2012, Import Policy Order 2009-2012, SME Policy, Bangladesh bank's SME Credit Policy 2010, Gender Action Plan of different Ministries, Policies of SME Foundation, Tax and Tariff Policy. The provisions stated in the policies make it clear that the government is dedicated to deploy all the opportunities available for the development of women entrepreneurship. BWCCI's experience shows that appropriate and timely advocacy with the government can pave the way for major changes.  
Development of women in Bangladesh is hindered due to lack of access to Finance, Market, networking and lack of product and design development. BWCCI has been carrying out studies and lobbying for the removal of these barriers.
To address the issue of access to finance, BWCCI conducted a study funded by Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), USA under the project Promoting Women Entrepreneurship through Advocacy (PWEA) from March 2006-September 2012 where various issues adversely affecting the growth of women entrepreneurs were identified and possible recommendation and intervention were suggested that resulted in the First ever Women National Business Agenda (WNBA).
In case of market access for the sale of agricultural produce, women engage mainly in production for family consumption, or for the sale of small surplus in local markets. But they need access to more distant markets for when there is oversupply in the local ones or when prices are better farther away. Women are also increasingly taking up market-oriented production. To address the issue BWCCI is implementing the project entitled "Proactive engagement of Members of Parliament to enhance women entrepreneurship development through policy/legislative support" from March 2012 in cooperation with USAID and The Asia Foundation to help to place the issues women entrepreneurs' face in access to finance and market before the members of parliament as well as parliamentary committees.
To address the issue Design and Product Development/ domestic and international trade fair BWCCI has implemented 'BWCCI-Business Training for Women ' project  where 300 Women Artisans from Jamalpur, Tangail, Jessore, Feni, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Bogra, Rangamati , Cox'sbazar and Rangpur received capacity building training to develop their knowledge and skill in product development and market linkages. Apart from this project, BWCCI has other projects where it is continuously working with micro and small entrepreneurs to develop their products to compete with other producers of Bangladesh and abroad by providing counseling, training and raising awareness of quality and competitive product.
Through networking women entrepreneurs can identify how to attract and win the right type of clients for their business, have commitment towards business, solve financial, managerial and marketing problems as well. Learning from each other, sharing successes and failures develop the skills of an entrepreneur. Women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh lack trainings on networking skills.
To address the issue BWCCI has joined many international organizations to promote networking between entrepreneurs of home and abroad and among many there are some organizations with which BWCCI is continuously connected:
Story of BWCCI is story of success
The story of BWCCI is story of success from the very beginning. It was the first chamber of Commerce for women in Bangladesh. It created a strong board run by successful and committed women entrepreneurs; build dynamic advocacy team in all divisions to advocate continuously for its members and encouraging members to grow and sustain their businesses with intellect and ethics. It has contributed enormously for the development of Bangladesh. Development partners joined hands to work with BWCCI for their sincerity, efficiency, transparency and commitment.
Push and pull factors
and business women
in Bangladesh
Women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh have still confide themselves to small and medium enterprises. There is a large group of micro women entrepreneur who started informal business by taking micro credit. They are engaged in business due to push and pull factors, which encourage women to have an income and become self-sufficient. A sense towards revenue earning, better livelihood, empowerment, independent decision-making on their life and career and last but not the least discrimination against women is the motivational factor behind this urge. Saddled with household chores and domestic responsibilities, women want to get independence and empowerment. Under the influence of these factors the women entrepreneurs choose a profession as a challenge and as a motivation to do something new. Such situation is described as pull factors. While in push factors, the compulsion and responsibilities shouldered by women make them get engaged in business activities to provide a better life and education for their children.
The BWCCI is committed to being a leader of broad based economic development in Bangladesh for business women & industrialists, to support the women business community by providing training, management & financial resource, expertise & support networks that enable small businesses to succeed & prosper, serve all businesses with a special focus on small, micro rural women entrepreneurs
As the first chamber of commerce in the country, BWCCI is exclusively working on women's economic and social empowerment. BWCCI is working with an enlightened aim to encourage and strengthen women's participation in the private sector as entrepreneurs through promoting a women friendly business environment since its inception in June 2001.
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The writer is the founder
president of BWCCI. The write-up is the abridged version of the keynot paper she
presented at the 10th Commonwealth Women Ministerial meeting held in Dhaka last year.