SME’s TELL ITC THEY NEED A WELL FUNDED SOLID EFFECTIVE SMEDA

The Financial Daily 30/10/24
The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) had a meeting with ITC officials Mr Andres Santoni Programme Officer and Mr David Gass consultant to ITC to discuss the restructuring of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) at UNISAME office.
President Unisame Zulfikar Thaver welcomed the officials of International Trade Centre affiliated to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and thanked them for their expert advice to the Government of Pakistan (GoP) for rejuvenating SMEDA under the direct supervision of the prime minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.
In reply to ITC’s officials enquiry about sector expectations from SMEDA, Thaver pinpointed that the SME sector needs a well funded , strong authority, one that can outreach the estimated 8 million SMEs in different segments including the SME farmers.
He said SMEDA must advocate the cause of the SMEs and voice the concerns of the SMEs.
SMEDA needs to assert itself as an authority and must not be a simple post office. It must comprehend the requirements of the sector and examine its difficulties, woes and hardships and analyse the cause and suggest remedies and finally ensure implementation.
UNISAME Council members suggested that SMEDA must have a private sector chief executive officer to upgrade SMEDA
The GoP needs to adopt friendly policies of taxation and facilitate, help and support the under privileged majority sector.
The sector needs an SME export promotion bureau, an SME technical Institute and a co-ordination committee to coordinate with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), TDAP, PCSIR, EDB, FBR, Mincom and other ministries and institutions for uplift of SMEs on fast track.
SMEDA must have a free legal aid and dispute resolution committee and also participate actively in the SME Liaison and Rahnuma Committee (SME -LC & RC) presently managed by UNISAME.
The SME leaders also suggested that SMEDA must recommend the establishment of an SME business express free business portal, an SME Gallery which can globally exhibit goods manufactured by SMEs on the internet.
The collateral management, logistics, banking and export credit guarantee insurance needs to be modernized and made affordable.
Energy and finance also need to be made affordable.
The cost and ease of doing business must also be examined to make our goods competitive.
Muhammad Uzair manager Sindh acted as co-ordinator in the meeting.
The ITC officials will submit a report to GoP after consulting other organizations and institutions on the restructuring of SMEDA to make it effective.

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