Swisscontact signs agreement with NGO & private companies to support MSMEs nationwide

Swisscontact partnered with NGO and private companies to support the growth and development of MSMEs in the light engineering, furniture making and leather goods sectors under the B-SkillFUL programme phase II, supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh.

These four organisations are: Rezia Management Consulting, Inspira Advisory and Consulting Limited, RISDA Bangladesh, and RoyalCert Bangladesh Limited, according to a statement.

The partnership agreements were signed at the Swisscontact Bangladesh country office recently. Under the agreements, Rezia Management Consulting and Inspira Advisory and Consulting Limited will provide business development services to connect 240 MSMEs to markets and financial products, as well as improving their production processes.

RISDA Bangladesh and RoyalCert Bangladesh Limited will provide demand-driven workplace place skills training to 2,220 workers to enhance employability and productivity.

During the signing event, Ms. Dajna Sorensen, B-SkillFUL Team Leader, mentioned “whereas enterprise development in at the core of this programme, ultimately, we seek to ensure that productivity gains and improvements at enterprise level translate into benefits to workers (through decent wages and improved working conditions)”.

The B-SkillFUL Programme Phase II is a four-year skills and enterprise development programme, that contributes to Switzerland’s overall goal in Bangladesh, which is to bring about a more equitable society that enjoys inclusive and sustainable growth, aligned with the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. The programme also has partnered with seven other service providers with the aim to improve productivity and competitiveness of at least 800 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) alongside improving skills and employability of 13,000 workers.