FCCISL, SMED, SAARC Chamber Convention on policy reforms for SME development
 

by Anjana Samarasinghe

The Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL), Small and Medium Enterprise Developers SMED together with Friedrich Stiftung in Sri Lanka and the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industries have organised a regional convention on policy reforms for SME development to be held on December 2 and 3 in Colombo.

Project Manager of SMED H. Ranasinghe said that the main objectives of the convention are to exchange experiences on national policies and action programmes for SME development in the region.

It will also provide the opportunity for critical examination of the policies that are implemented by SAARC countries.

'Through this convention we hope to recommend policy reforms which are necessary for the development of the SME sector. At the final conclusion of the Convention a Colombo Declaration on Policy reforms for SME Development will be issued, he said.

Organisers expect to invite researchers, policy makers and Chamber representatives for the convention.

Under this project selected groups of economic researchers from each SAARC country will prepare papers on SME policy reforms in their respective countries and will represent the convention.

Director of Centre for Development Research CRD Dr. Wilbert Gooneratne said that they have selected the best professionals to prepare the country paper and the Sri Lankan paper will be done by Prof. W.D. Lakshman, Professor of Economics, at the Colombo University.

These professionals will analyse and evaluate present status of the sector. They will also examine problems and restrictions that SME's face due to current policies. The country paper will specially consider areas such as financing, training facilities, intellectual property rights and gender issues.

There will be specific recommendations for each country according to their country paper. At the convention they will set up common recommendations that all member countries can embark on. These recommendations will be presented to the policy makers in respective governments.

Secretary of FCCISL, Samantha Abeywickrama said that they would suggest government to declare 2006 as the Year for the SMEs in Sri Lanka.

We expect that 2006 will be year which there will be special attention for the SME's, he said.