Present at the event were the deputy Prime Minister, Dr Rashid Beebeejaun, minister of Business, Jim Seetaram, SMEDA managing director, Indira Seebun, and the Lord Mayor, Mahmad Kodabaccus.
In his speech, Beebeejaun said investors should seek advice from authorities such as SMEDA. He said, “The mentoring process is the most important phase for SMEs.” He also made an appeal to local entrepreneurs to come forward with innovative ideas and focus in order to go international. Seetaram acknowledged the problems that SMEs face, such as access to finance and market, communication and industrial space. “This is why we are organising cooperative fairs in different parts of the island,” he added.
The Lord Mayor said that SMEs have changed the concept of doing business. He said, “With the global crisis, it is now the SMEs who are keeping the economy resilient and becoming its backbone.”
Similarly, Indira Seebun said, “One has to be an intelligent entrepreneur, familair with technology to be efficient and to grow internationally.”