Women entrepreneurs get 30pc of SME loan: BWCCI
Friday, 23 April 2010
FE Report
Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) said women entrepreneurs received only 30 per cent of the small and medium enterprise (SME) loan allotted for them under the specialized fund of the Bangladesh Bank.
It said central bank has fixed 15 per cent of the Tk 10 billion SME fund for women entrepreneurs but 70 per cent of the loan were not disbursed due to lack of cooperation from the authorities.
The BWCCI president Selima Ahmad disclosed this while launching a project to develop women entrepreneurs through advocacy based on the national business agenda at CIRDAP auditorium on Monday.
State Minister for Woman and Child affairs Dr Shireen Chowdhury attended the function as chief guest where Chairman of Jatiya Mohila Sangstha Prof Momtaz Begum and professor of Women Studies Department of Dhaka University Nazmunnessa Mahtab were also present as panelist discussants.
The chief guest assured the women entrepreneurs of providing all possible cooperation from the government to implement the national business agenda and said the government will soon implement the national women policy. She said poverty reduction strategy paper will also get special focus on gender equity to remove feminine poverty from the country.
The panelists called for opening of cell at BWCCI office for processing loan application of women entrepreneurs so that they can meet banks' requirement to get loan and banks cannot reject their applications.
They also called for taking initiative of the women ministry at grass root level to increase the disbursement rate of SME loan.
Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) said women entrepreneurs received only 30 per cent of the small and medium enterprise (SME) loan allotted for them under the specialized fund of the Bangladesh Bank.
It said central bank has fixed 15 per cent of the Tk 10 billion SME fund for women entrepreneurs but 70 per cent of the loan were not disbursed due to lack of cooperation from the authorities.
The BWCCI president Selima Ahmad disclosed this while launching a project to develop women entrepreneurs through advocacy based on the national business agenda at CIRDAP auditorium on Monday.
State Minister for Woman and Child affairs Dr Shireen Chowdhury attended the function as chief guest where Chairman of Jatiya Mohila Sangstha Prof Momtaz Begum and professor of Women Studies Department of Dhaka University Nazmunnessa Mahtab were also present as panelist discussants.
The chief guest assured the women entrepreneurs of providing all possible cooperation from the government to implement the national business agenda and said the government will soon implement the national women policy. She said poverty reduction strategy paper will also get special focus on gender equity to remove feminine poverty from the country.
The panelists called for opening of cell at BWCCI office for processing loan application of women entrepreneurs so that they can meet banks' requirement to get loan and banks cannot reject their applications.
They also called for taking initiative of the women ministry at grass root level to increase the disbursement rate of SME loan.