Link CMSMEs with global supply chains

Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi on Sunday underscored the need of making links between cottage, micro, small, and medium enterprise (CMSME) sector and international supply chain for business growth in the global arena.

“Linking (making a connection bridge) our entrepreneurs to the international supply chain is a matter of time as the training and skill development activities which are being undertaken for these entrepreneurs are very timely initiatives but the problem is in linking them (entrepreneurs) with the market,” he said.

He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the Dhaka Divisional Webinar titled ‘CMSMES: Journey, Challenges and Future Direction in Bangladesh’, reports BSS.

As part of the ‘Revive’ project, the webinar was organized jointly by the Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Center of the University of Dhaka and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bangladesh.

ICE Center vice-president Khondoker Bazlul Haque presided over the event while ICE Center Executive Director Rashedur Rahman conducted it.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) Deputy Governor AKM Sajedur Rahman Khan, President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Barrister Nihad Kabir, former Director of BB Dr Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed and UNDP Bangladesh Assistant Resident Representative Khurshid Alam also spoke on the occasion, among others.

Gowher Rizvi said, “To attain the vision of 2030 of the government, it is important to bring forward the underprivileged citizens in the community.” In this case, the ICE Center can play a leading role, he hoped.

About the internationalization of domestic products, speakers at the webinar said that the CMSMEs should not be considered together, but cottage, small and medium industries should be considered separately.

They suggest the formulation and implementation of different policies for each because when small and medium enterprises are integrated, the policies create complications in certain categories.

Such type of complications is particularly problematic in the field of internationalization of traders, said the speakers.

Appreciating the mapping initiative of 64 districts of Bangladesh under the Revive project, they said it would open the door to opportunities and possibilities for district-based industrialization.

(AA)