Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the relevant institutions to expedite measures for providing loans to small and medium-sized enterprises on easy terms through banks and other financial institutions. He was chairing a meeting in Islamabad to review the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority’s business plan aimed at promoting small and medium-sized enterprises in the country.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister emphasized that small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the national economy and highlighted the immense potential to increase the country’s exports through the development of the SME sector. During the meeting, a three-year roadmap for the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises was presented.

The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for his Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar and the newly appointed Board of Directors of SMEDA for formulating a practical and effective plan. The meeting was briefed on the issues faced by SMEs and the proposed strategy to address these challenges. The briefing also covered measures included in the business plan, strategies to integrate SMEs into national exports, and ongoing efforts to enhance cooperation with various countries to introduce Pakistan’s SME sector in the global market on a competitive basis.

It was informed that multiple workshops have recently been organized in six cities to enhance the capacity of domestic SMEs, while several training programs are also underway to prepare them for global competition. The meeting was further updated on initiatives to ensure greater participation and a meaningful role for women in the SME sector.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, Governor State Bank of Pakistan Jameel Ahmad, Chief Secretaries of all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, members of the newly appointed SMEDA Board, and senior officials of the relevant departments.