On August 8, for the first time ever, the government of Bangladesh hosted a ‘National SME Women Entrepreneurs Forum’, in order to meet with innovative female entrepreneurs and discuss necessary policy changes that will encourage women to get more involved in business. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia attended the event, along with the Minister of Commerce and Industry and several other prominent members of the government. Four sessions were held during the day, allowing the attendees to raise their voices on a number of important issues, including access to finance, business regulations, marketing, infrastructure, and information technology. The day closed with the Prime Minister’s announcement that a separate bank will be created to serve the needs of women entrepreneurs running SMEs in Bangladesh.
While an important event on its own, the forum marked a major victory for two CIPE partner organizations – the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI). DCCI has been working with CIPE for seven years on a variety of economic reform measures, and focused its programming on women entrepreneurs from 2001 to 2005. BWCCI is a new partner for CIPE, and works with women entrepreneurs outside of Dhaka to help them advocate for change at the local level. The hard work of both organizations made the forum possible by encouraging the government to recognize the importance of women in Bangladesh’s economy and to address some of the barriers for women entering business in the country.
CIPE congratulates both DCCI and BWCCI for their success!
Published Date: August 14, 2006