ISLAMABAD, AUG 9: /DNA/ – The All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF) has urged the government to move beyond policy announcements and ensure effective implementation of reforms aimed at micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), saying a stronger small-business sector could provide a major boost to investment, employment, industrialisation and exports.
In a joint statement, APBF President Syed Maaz Mahmood and Chairman Ibrahim Qureshi said Pakistan’s economic recovery would remain incomplete without creating conditions in which small businesses could survive, expand and move into formal manufacturing and export markets.
They said MSMEs represented one of the broadest segments of the private sector, but their growth continued to be restricted by limited access to finance, high energy and operating costs, complex taxation, regulatory requirements and inadequate access to modern technology.
The APBF leaders welcomed the government’s renewed focus on SME development and the expansion of dedicated financing initiatives, but stressed that the effectiveness of such measures would depend on whether ordinary entrepreneurs could access them without lengthy procedures, excessive documentation or institutional delays.
Syed Maaz Mahmood said affordable working capital was particularly important for small businesses because they generally operated with limited cash reserves and faced greater difficulty absorbing sudden increases in electricity, raw-material, transportation and financing costs.
APBF Chairman Ibrahim Qureshi called for a simplified SME credit framework under which viable businesses could obtain financing on the basis of transparent eligibility criteria, with reduced documentation and faster approval mechanisms.
Maaz Mahmood said the next phase of SME policy should also focus on helping businesses become more productive and export-oriented. Small manufacturers should be supported in adopting digital technologies, improving production standards, obtaining international certifications and connecting with overseas buyers.
