Tk250 crore project to foster smart entrepreneurship: Shirin Sharmin
The project will provide one-time fund support of Tk20,000 to 25,000 aspiring women entrepreneurs
The government has initiated a project worth Tk250 crore aiming to foster smart entrepreneurship with the vision of building smart Bangladesh by 2041, said Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
"Some 25,000 women entrepreneurs will receive a one-time Tk20,000 fund support each as part of the project to encourage them in business," she said while speaking as the chief guest of the luncheon meeting held by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) in a capital hotel Monday.
Calling upon women entrepreneurs to be involved in the blue economy, Shirin Sharmin said that the government is working to provide them all kinds of banking facilities including interest free loans.
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AmCham President Syed Ershad Ahmed chaired the event "Women in Business: Empowering Bangladesh Forward", organised ahead of International Women's Day on Wednesday (8 March).
Citing a recent study – The Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) – AmCham President Syed Ershad said that Bangladesh is placed 2nd from the bottom in the ranking of Women's Advancement Outcome. For this segment, countries were ranked on the basis of four indicators – Business Leaders, Women Professionals and Technical Workers, Women Entrepreneurial Activity, and Rate of Women Labour Force Participation.
"Women's progress in Bangladesh is hindered due to a lack of skilled women professionals and a low labour participation rate compared to its global peers. In Bangladesh, only 36% of working-age females are engaged in the workforce compared to 81% men," he said.
"Bangladesh is ranked at the very bottom in the index of measuring the knowledge assets and financial access," said Syed Ershad and adding that AmCham wants to develop a "Gender Policy Council" with public and private stakeholders to advance gender equity and equality across Bangladesh.
A National Gender Strategy can be legislated under the Bangladesh government's National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) in addition to a to-be proposed revised National Women Development Policy to promote the rights and opportunities of women in business.
Helen LaFave, deputy chief of Mission of US Embassy in Dhaka and Meherun N Islam, president and group managing director of CEMS-Global spoke at the event among others.
