Wednesday 13 March 2013

Myanmar's SMEs to benefit from Dutch expertise

An organisation of Dutch business volunteers pledged their support in helping to develop Myanmar’s small- and medium-sized enterprises.


PUM Netherlands senior experts signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) on February 28.

The exchange program will send sector leaders from the Netherlands to help Myanmar’s SME business owners maximise the potential of their companies.

“The small and medium enterprises need knowledge and experience to develop their businesses. PUM can help with this,” said Joost Van Kesteren, PUM’s representative in Myanmar.

Under the program, a retired business official from the Netherlands would be matched with a company in Myanmar that is seeking to improve one area of its operation. The Dutch volunteer will then spend about two weeks in Myanmar providing assistance and giving recommendations for improvement.

The contact with the Myanmar SME and the expert continues after the expert has left. It is also possible that the expert will be brought back after some months for the continuation of the project.

In some instances, the expert can also help to establish business contacts between the company and the Dutch private sector, said country coordinator John De Bruijn.

Mr Van Kesteren and John De Bruijn said that a number of companies have already expressed interest in the program and that he expects a high volume of applications.

To qualify the Dutch experts must be between the ages of 50-72 and have worked in a leadership role in their respective field for at least 25 years. The group is active in 70 countries, with around 3000 Dutch experts lending their knowledge across numerous sectors.

Myanmar companies must have more than 10 employees with a turnover of less than 10 million euros (about US$13 million).

PUM’s agreement with the UMFCCI comes amid increasingly vocal calls to develop Myanmar’s SMEs.

U Myint Kyi, a Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Yangon Region, urged the government on February 20 to lay out clear SME policies and framework prior to the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, Mizzima reported on February 22.

In January, President U Thein Sein created a central committee tasked with developing SMEs.

source: The Myanmar Times

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