Mahbub Jamil (C), Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, Rokia Afzal Rahman, and Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, among others, are seen at the award giving ceremony in Dhaka yesterday.Photo: STAR

Eight women entrepreneurs in three categories were awarded the maiden national SME women entrepreneurship award 2008 yesterday.
They were awarded cash and crest for turning their dreams of being entrepreneurs into reality.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Foundation organised the event for the first time to recognise the women's contribution and participation in the economy.
Neelima Akhter Chowdhury of Chittagong has been awarded the best women entrepreneur award 2008, Monoara Talukdar of Gaibandha the best innovative women entrepreneur and Aziza Khatun Huq of Décor Idee of Dhaka for best enterprise.
The first prizewinner got a crest and Tk one lakh, second and third prizewinners got a crest and Tk 50,000 and Tk 25,000 respectively.
Chaired by Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, chairperson of SME Foundation, the function was attended by Mahbub Jamil, special assistant to the chief adviser on industries, as chief guest. Former advisers to the caretaker government and leading businesswomen Geeteara Safiya Choudhury and Rokia Afzal Rahman also spoke.
Jamil said women entrepreneurs are facing many problems, including lack of working capital, infrastructure bottlenecks and bank credit.
“Policy makers, banks and non-bank financial institutions have a negative attitude towards women entrepreneurs,” he said.
“I urge banks to come up with the finance for the women entrepreneurs,” he added.
The present government is trying to change the mindset of the policy makers and bankers, he said.
He cited examples of loan allocation to the SME entrepreneurs 40 percent to small and 60 percent to the medium enterprises. Bangladesh Bank has asked commercial banks to give Tk 25 lakh collateral-free loan to women entrepreneurs, Jamil said.