Business Development Center launches “Entrepreneurship 2020”

SMEs are the driving force of any economy and their silent contribution generates products and services, income, assets, jobs, technology, innovations and country’s development finance and many more benefits. However our SMEs face many, many challenge due to lack of national SME development policy.

Business Development Centre, commonly known as BDC launches a new platform to empower Sri Lankan SMEs in collaboration with World Bank’s private sector development arm International Finance Corporation (IFC). Since 1999 BDC had nearly catered 25000 SMEs and had given outstanding contribution to create entrepreneurial culture in Sri Lanka. BDC together with IFC introduces a highly result oriented business management training package called “Business Edge.”

This training package is being promoted through a range of national level business seminars called “Entrepreneurship 2020” and will be organized in district level. Any government agency, NGOs, financial institution and business association can request this seminar.

The first successful seminar was commenced last month at Roshel Gardens Hotel in Kottawa with the participation of 150 small and medium entrepreneurs. This interactive seminar was free of charge as BDC consider it as a part of their corporate responsibility toward the SME community. The idea is to motivate and empower Sri Lanka’s SME's by providing new management skills, technology and market access.

The seminar is filled with reflections of leading national entrepreneurs and management experts. Attendees of the seminar were registered with BDC’s Business Mentoring network and every participant received a training voucher as to take part in future training events.

In the way forward stage of “Entrepreneurship 2020” event BDC conducts a highly result oriented management training, Business Edge for business people. The event helps entrepreneurs to tremendously increase income and reduce unnecessary costs and finally to increase profitability.

Diriyadetha is the SME market access arm of BDC. It is a chain of retail outlets that directly purchase product from SMEs and sell in national and international markets. Home based micro level industries and SMEs benefit from better margins with fast cash flows, as Diriyadetha directly pay them for what they supplied to its outlets.

The theme of Diriyadetha is to “enable SMEs to access better markets with higher benefits.”

Technology is a key aspect in starting and improving small and medium business. BDC offers advisory service technology information and consultancy service to SMEs island wide.

Entrepreneurs from Colombo, Gampaha, Galle and Kurunegala Districts can simply register for upcoming seminar by sending only SMS to following phone numbers, 0772367296, 0772387299.