Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 21, 2011
—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is rolling out its Business Edge training for business owners and managers in Bangladesh. The interactive training program will help improve management skills and support productivity and efficiency improvements for about 2,500 small and medium enterprises.
The two-day workshop, starting today in Dhaka, will focus on training future trainers. It is part of a larger initiative to disseminate business skills more widely among small-business owners across Bangladesh over the next three years.
“Small and medium enterprises help create jobs and promote economic growth in Bangladesh. By launching Business Edge in this market, IFC is reaffirming its commitment to supporting the country’s private sector growth,” said Aftab ul Islam, Chairman of Bangladesh’s SME Foundation, while speaking to participants at the inaugural session.
Ian Crosby, Manager for IFC Advisory Services in Bangladesh, said, “Business Edge will make available practical training tools to small enterprises to enhance their performance and income levels. Our partners’ efforts will be invaluable in reaching a larger number of small businesses.”
Local training-service providers, Windmill Education Services Limited and SEBA Limited, will partner IFC in implementing Business Edge.
IFC’s Business Edge program uses a comprehensive set of self-study books and training modules adapted to the local business context. Key themes include marketing, human resources, production and operations, finance and accounting, and productivity skills.
Globally, IFC delivers Business Edge training services through a network of local franchised providers and certified trainers supported and monitored by IFC to ensure consistent performance standards. Bangladesh is replicating a similar model.
To date, the training has reached more than 150,000 participants in 20 developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Key international companies have selected Business Edge to train their suppliers and distributors in sectors such as telecommunications, pharmaceutical, and banking to name a few.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. We create opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives—by providing financing to help businesses employ more people and provide essential services, mobilizing capital from others, and delivering advisory and risk-management services to ensure sustainable development. In a time of global economic uncertainty, our new investments climbed to a record $18 billion in fiscal 2010. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
