IFC, Dialog Axiata expand partnership
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Dialog Axiata PLC are
expanding their collaboration to increase the reach of the SME Toolkit,
an online resource that provides training and management tools to help
micro and small enterprises strengthen productivity and gain greater
access to new markets.
Under the expansion, more than 3,000 small-business owners from rural
and post-conflict regions of Sri Lanka will receive training through the
toolkit by the end of 2012. Part of this new phase will focus
extensively on training women entrepreneurs to improve business skills
and business practices.
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IFC’s Country Manager for Sri Lanka
and Maldives Adam Sack (left) with Dialog Axiata Group Chief
Executive Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya. |
“The use of innovative models such as the SME Toolkit, to support
local entrepreneurs and help businesses become sustainable is a major
focus of IFC’s work in Sri Lanka,” IFC’s Country Manager for Sri Lanka
and Maldives Adam Sack said. “Working with Dialog, we can develop the
micro, small and medium enterprise sector across the country with the
SME Toolkit,” he said.
IFC’s SME Toolkit has been adapted to suit local needs and training
is administered in English, Sinhala and Tamil in all provinces of the
country. Since 2008, when Dialog Axiata partnered with IFC to bring the
toolkit to Sri Lanka, the programme has reached over 5,000 micro and
small entrepreneurs across the island. Dialog Axiata operates Sri
Lanka’s largest mobile-telephone network.
“We are proud to partner with IFC to empower Sri Lankan micro
entrepreneurs with skills and tool sets to aid the development and
sustenance of their businesses,” said Dialog Axiata Group Chief
Executive Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya. “The tri-lingual SME Toolkit and
supplementary developmental interactions have been designed to inculcate
enhanced levels of entrepreneurial stewardship across small-business
segments from across all districts of Sri Lanka and will no doubt
provide commensurate impetus to the acceleration of economic growth,” he
added.
IFC’s SME Toolkit was launched globally in 2002. The toolkit is the
country’s only trilingual web portal dedicated towards the development
of micro and small enterprises. It is a repository of tools and
knowledge resources that provide guidance to micro and small
entrepreneurs to improve their skills and know-how in areas such as
marketing, book-keeping, accounting, business plan preparation, and
human resource management.
Sri Lanka is a focus country for IFC’s programme in South Asia. IFC’s
committed portfolio of $200 million in the country covers projects
across a range of sectors-including infrastructure, tourism, renewable
energy, banking, and healthcare. IFC also provides advisory support to
small and medium enterprises, promoting sustainable growth among small
and medium enterprises by facilitating access to finance and offering
capacity-building and training opportunities.
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