ISLAMABAD(The COW News Digital) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to prepare a comprehensive strategy to provide financial support to small businesses and help them gain greater access to national and international markets.
The prime minister issued the instructions while chairing a meeting reviewing initiatives being implemented under SMEDA to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs across Pakistan.
Shehbaz directed SMEDA to develop a nationwide framework focused on financial assistance, technical capacity building and improved access to global markets for small and medium-sized businesses.
He said ensuring equal opportunities and access to facilities and technical support across different regions of the country should remain a key institutional priority for SMEDA.
The prime minister also called for an expansion of programmes aimed at increasing women’s participation in small and medium-sized industries and businesses. He directed the authority to take further measures to ensure women entrepreneurs can benefit from available support mechanisms.
Shehbaz further instructed officials to make effective use of digital platforms to connect Pakistani businesses with commercial markets at both the national and international levels.
He called for the business development strategy to cover a wider range of regions and sectors and directed the preparation of a dedicated plan to strengthen production and commercial linkages for agricultural commodities.
The prime minister stressed that equal attention should be given to financial assistance, technical skills development and the provision of facilities to entrepreneurs.
Officials briefed the meeting that various initiatives were already being undertaken at different levels to strengthen SMEs and support business owners. They said efforts were also underway to increase exports of industrial products linked to small businesses and improve their access to international markets by adopting best practices from around the world.
The meeting was further informed that SMEDA was working with relevant government institutions to develop an integrated and comprehensive strategy for promoting small and medium-sized businesses.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema attended the meeting.
Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Commerce Haroon Akhtar, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan and senior officials from relevant government institutions were also present.
The proposed strategy is expected to focus on improving access to finance, strengthening technical capabilities, encouraging women’s participation and helping Pakistani SMEs connect with international buyers and markets.
