Women entrepreneurs urge govt to ease trade barriers

Women entrepreneurs on Monday urged the government to take required initiatives to simplify trade obstacles like trade licence, bank loan process, VAT and tax issues and e-commerce business to flourish the country’s economy.

They made the call at a seminar titled “Dissemination Seminar on Policy Recommendations to Make Trading Across Border Easier for Women-Owned Businesses” at the Hotel InterContinental Dhaka.

The Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD), in collaboration with IFC, organised the event.

Speaking at the seminar, Sylhet Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Sharnalata Roy said the communication barrier at home and abroad is one of the key challenges for them.

“Connectivity is important to enter the foreign market. We can’t enter the foreign market due to lack of connection. So, we are requesting our embassies to connect women entrepreneurs with foreign businesses,” she added.

Mentioning that lack of information is a big gap for them, Sharnalata said, “We need training for packaging and cargo processing. Besides, women should be encouraged for agro businesses.”

BUILD Chief Executive Officer Ferdaus Ara Begum said they have reached around 27,000 women entrepreneurs recently to understand their challenges through workshops.

“During the workshops, major challenges shared by the women-owned businesses included business formalisation (traditional and e-commerce), cumbersome trade licensing processes and high renewal fees, getting collateral-free loans and loans from stimulus packages from banks and financial institutions, lack of knowledge on effective marketing and branding, and inability to fully revive from the direct impacts of Covid-19 and access to the government announced incentives,” she added.