Workshop on micro-credit begins

A five-day Afro-Asian workshop on Innovative Micro-credit Delivery Systems for Rural Poverty Alleviation began at Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) in Comilla yesterday.
Secretary to Rural Development and Cooperatives Division ATM Fazlul Karim inaugurated the workshop as the chief guest while Dr Abdalla Yahia Adam, secretary general, Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO), New Delhi, India, was present as special guest.
The inaugural session was presided over by M Khairul Kabir, director general, BARD. Twenty-two senior officials from 14 Afro-Asian countries, including host Bangladesh, are participating at the workshop.
Rural Development and Cooperative Division of the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry and BARD jointly organised the workshop in collaboration with AARDO.
The prime objective of the workshop is to share the experiences of micro-credit operations in different countries and its impact on poverty alleviation.
The chief guest in his speech mentioned that micro-credit has been facing second-generation challenges. He urged that the participants would find out some innovative micro-credit delivery systems to rural poverty alleviation through sharing and exchanging views and experiences of different countries.
The workshop will also work out some policy recommendations for ensuring effective use of micro-credit with a view to link it with the Millennium Development Goals, said a press release.