SME moot concludes: recommendations will be considered while framing new policy: minister

Federal Minister Industries and Production Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi on Thursday said the recommendations adopted in the 2nd International SME Conference would be considered while framing the new SME Policy.
He stated this while addressing the closing session of the two-day International SME Conference organized by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) in partnership with University of Management and Technology (UMT).
SMEDA Chief Executive Officer Sher Ayub, Chairperson, Association of Management Development Institutions, Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry, Chairman, University of Lahore, Prof Awais Raoof and Dean School of Business and Economics UMT Prof Robert F Wheeler also spoke on the occasion.
The minister stressed the need for extensive research base, which should subsequently aid policy makers for facilitating the small and medium enterprises though evidence based policies. He said that SMEs has the potential to change economic fate of the country if supported with the pragmatic policies.
He appreciated SMEDA to bridge the wide gap existing in Pakistan industry-academia linkage by holding national and international SME conferences in collaboration with higher education institutions.
The linkages would not only encourage SMEs-based research, but also help the government develop a vibrant SME sector to catalyze economic growth in Pakistan, he added.
The minister said the present government is committed to bring prosperity to the nation through SME development, which can create abundant job opportunities for people of Pakistan. With this aim, we are endeavouring to create conducive business environment and reduce the cost of doing business, he said and hoped that the series of SME conferences would prove to be an effective platform researchers and SMEs stakeholders.
He urged SMEDA to play an even more effective role in bringing stakeholders together and addressing the impediments to SME growth. He assured to stand committed for providing necessary support to SMEDA and other institutions for catalysing SME growth in Pakistan.
Earlier, SMEDA chief executive officer said the conference has provided a platform to stakeholders including academia, researchers, SMEs, public and private sector representatives as well as international development agencies to share their experiences. Over 50 research papers from around 15 national and international universities were received for the conference, but only 12 of these were selected for presentation to reflect high standards of the conference, he said and informed that 8 best papers had been provided cash awards.
He hoped that the conference would become a milestone in SME development process in Pakistan, as it has brought together SME Stakeholders on one platform, which is not merely confined to an annual conference, but is to, continuously provide an opportunity to stakeholders from across the SME spectrum to interact, engage and develop solutions that can serve as foundations for catalyzing SME growth in Pakistan.