Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Center to conduct SME forum this year
THE Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship plans to conduct a forum in Davao City this year in a bid to boost small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Davao Region.
"We want to empower SMEs and change their mindset. In the Philippines, 90 percent of the 900,000 are listed and registered entrepreneurs. Of this 90 percent, 60 to 70 percent are sari-sari stores," Ramon Lopez, executive director of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, said in Monday's opening of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Week at the NCCC Mall of Davao.
"We want to change the mindset of the people that when they want to engage in business, they can also have other options rather than starting up with a sari-sari store. We want them to think and analyze that we have to promote another climate," he added.
Lopez said they will invite more than a thousand of participants to join in the forum which is set in October. The target participants will be composed of students and different SMEs in the region.
"The challenge is how to make SMEs grow. Aside from the conduct of fora, we are also planning to develop programs on how to improve SMEs. We can start with teachings about marketing and product development," Lopez said. (JGRS)
