Pilot e-database project launched to list SME entrepreneurs

SME Foundation, in collaboration with Aspire to Innovate (a2i) of the ICT Division, has launched a pilot project to list all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the country online, which after completion is expected to help the government in making policy decisions regarding the sector.

The project, an e-database of SMEs, will also help authorities concerned have a grasp about the total number of entrepreneurs in the SME sector in the country at present, as no such recent figures exist, officials said.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun and State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak inaugurated the project on Thursday at the SME Foundation's office in Agargaon.

Initially, the project has been launched at four upzilas – Shyampur in Dhaka, Adamdighi in Bogra, Nesarabad in Pirojpur, and Bhairab in Kishorgonj.

Any SME entrepreneurs from these areas can register their information to the database by logging on to www.smef.nise.gov.bd. They can also register with assistance from union digital centres and SME clusters.

"Nearly 99% of cottage enterprises are part of the MSME sector. This sector controls 70% of the country's economic activities. Also, 80-85% of the total industrial employment is in the SME sector," Industries Minister Nurul said on the occasion.

"The SME sector meets 30-35% of the total domestic industrial demand. Therefore, [this] SME e-database programme is a very timely initiative. If the information of all SME entrepreneurs of the country is available on one platform, it will be easier for the government to determine the policy for the development of this sector," he added.

Currently, the state-run SME Foundation has no data on how many entrepreneurs are working in the SME sector. However, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Economic Census 2013, there were 78.18 lakh business establishments in the country including cottage, micro, small, medium and large industries at the time. Among them 87.52% are cottage industries, 1.33% micro, 10.99% small, 0.09% medium and 0.07% are large industries.

Also speaking at the launching ceremony, SME Foundation Managing Director Md Mofizur Rahman said, "The SME Policy 2019 aims to increase the contribution of the SME sector to the country's GDP from the current 25% to 32% by 2024. The SME e-database will play a vital role in shaping government policy in the development of this sector."

Meanwhile, ICT State Minister Zunaid called on the SME Foundation to continue this work and to come up with a proper plan to bring all the CMSMEs in the country under the database.