FNCCI to commence SMEs Summit at 9:30 am today

KATHMANDU: Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) is set to organise a summit of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Lalitpur today. The summit is going to be organised with the aim of supporting the development, expansion and promotion of micro, domestic, small and medium industrial business sectors including women entrepreneurs. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel will attend the summit as a chief guest while Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari will also address the programme, according to FNCCI. At the summit , working papers will be presented and group discussions will be carried out on necessary policy arrangements for the industrial business sector, access to finance, market promotion, export promotion, and the impact of upgrading from least developed countries. FNCCI President Shekhar Golchha, Senior Vice President Chandra Prasad Dhakal, Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Toya Narayan Gyawali, and officials of UNICEF, IFC, ILO will address the inauguration ceremony of one-day summit. Similarly, the technical first session of the summit will be about business relations between large and small industries, the second session will be about access to finance, and the third session will be a group discussion on commodity marketing/export/upgradation from least developed countries/young entrepreneurship. A session of sharing the experience of established entrepreneurs and businesspersons in their respective fields will also be organised. Chairperson of Cottage and Small Industry Committee of FNCCI, DB Basnet, and Chairperson of Women Entrepreneurship Development Committee, Reeta Simha, will address the closing session of the programme. The summit will also discuss the efforts made for the promotion and development of MSME sector in foreign countries. Small entrepreneurs will also get opportunity to share their success and experience. Participants of the summit will get information about the policies, laws, rules and procedures made to promote the MSME industry. The programme is expected to be helpful in identifying the problems being faced by the MSME sector and taking initiatives to solve the problems in the relevant agencies. About 300 stakeholders from the FNCCI's Province Chapter, district and municipal-level chamber of commerce and industry, commodity associations, representatives of the Government of Nepal, women, micro, domestic, small and medium entrepreneurs among others will take part in the programme being organised under the leadership of FNCCI's two committees — Cottage and Small Industry Committee and Women Entrepreneurship Development Committee. The summit will commence at 9:30 am at Hotel Himalaya in Lalitpur.