CMA Sri Lanka COVID 19 SME Development Conference: Celebrating UN – Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Day

The CMA Sri Lanka COVID 19 SME Development Conference 2023 has been organized on the theme ‘Resurgence of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Development’ to celebrate United Nations – Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Day to raise public awareness of their contribution to sustainable development and the global economy with the active participation of commercial banks and their MSME customers on Tuesday, 27th June 2023 from 9.00am to 5.00pm at the BMICH.

The CMA Sri Lanka COVID 19 SME Development Committee have been meeting since April 2020 to find solutions and support the SME sector. They have organized conferences, workshops and UN MSME days annually since 2020. One of the significant achievements of the committee was the recommendation made to the Ministry of Industries in 2020 to submit a Cabinet Paper to reactivate the SME Credit Guarantee Institution which was approved by Cabinet in April 2021 and ERD of the Finance Ministry has now finalized the setting up of the NCGI.

The conference will address the significance of the Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises on the UN MSME day which is a global event to give recognition. Some of the key matters applicable to the MSME sector will be highlighted at the conference. This will include the Sri Lanka Credit Guarantee Institution and its role in supporting the MSME sector, the need to have a MSME Development Act similar to that of India, ‘The Role of Banking Sector in Restructuring Loans and Rehabilitation of MSMEs’, ‘Entrepreneurship to Accelerate Economic growth and Development’ and Success Stories of MSME Entrepreneurs nominated by participating Banks.

The inaugural session will be inaugurated by the Chief Guest Hon Shehan Semasinghe Acting Minister of Finance. Welcome and Introductory Remarks will be delivered by Prof Lakshman R Watawala, President CMA Sri Lanka and Chairman CMA Sri Lanka COVID 19 SME Development Committee. Guest of Honour Acting Director ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and Maldives Mr Thomas Kring – will address on the ‘Significance of United Nations – Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME) Day’. Keynote Address on ‘Sri Lanka Credit Guarantee Institution and its role in supporting MSME Sector’ will be delivered by Mr R M P Ratnayake, Deputy Secretary to Treasury and Treasury Representative on NCGI. Guest Speaker CMA Ramachandran Venkataramani, Director Westcott Electricals Private Limited from Chennai will address on the ‘Success of Indian MSME Development Act to promote, facilitate development and competitiveness of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)’. The vote of thanks will be delivered by Mr Bandara Rekogama, Head of Refinance Schemes & Special Lending Products HNB and Committee Member CMA Sri Lanka COVID 19 SME Development Committee.

The other speakers will include Mr Wickrama Narayana, DGM, Enterprise Banking of People’s Bank on the topic ‘The Role of Banking Sector in Restructuring Loans and Rehabilitation of MSMEs’. Technical session 2 will have by Dr Nirmal de Silva, Strategy Consultant speak on ‘Entrepreneurship Development to Accelerate Economic Growth’ and Dr Chamara Bandara Founder/MD Corporate Directors (Pvt) Ltd. on ‘Business Planning and Raising Finances for Entrepreneurs’.

Both the technical sessions will conclude with a panel discussion which will be moderated by Mr Chaaminda Kumarasiri, Management Consultant, and Chairman, H C P Consulting (Pvt.) Ltd. and Committee member CMA Sri Lanka COVID 19 SME Development Committee.

The final Technical Session 3 will be the highlight of the conference where Eight Success Stories of MSME Entrepreneurs from participating Banks will be shared with the participants. The participating banks will include Bank of Ceylon, Peoples Bank, Hatton National Bank, Commercial Bank, Sampath Bank, NDB Bank, Seylan Bank, SDB Bank, DFCC Bank and Cargills Bank. The finance companies will include LOLC Finance and Sarvodaya Development Finance.