Industry Adviser Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan has said that the Buyer-Seller Summit 2025 will enhance entrepreneurs’ confidence, open up new markets, and strengthen buyer-seller relationships.
He noted that the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector contributes nearly 30 percent to the national GDP and accounts for about 85 percent of industrial employment. The SME Foundation has been working on policy support, entrepreneur training, technology development, market expansion, and women entrepreneurship development. So far, around 2,800 entrepreneurs have received loans amounting to BDT 1.85 billion.
Industry Adviser made these remarks on Tuesday (9 September 2025) at the closing ceremony of Buyer-Seller Summit 2025, jointly organized by SME Foundation and the World Bank Group, Bangladesh, at the Multipurpose Hall of the Institute of Architects, Agargaon, Dhaka.
He further said that such initiatives of SME Foundation will help grassroots cluster-based entrepreneurs directly connect with commercial buyers, create new market opportunities, and receive mentoring support to strengthen their businesses.
The event was also attended by Mr. Jean Pém, Division Director of the World Bank Group; Ms. Hosna Ferdous Sumi, Senior Private Sector Specialist; Mr. Mushfiqur Rahman, Chairperson of SME Foundation; and entrepreneurs from across the country. The welcome speech was delivered by Mr. Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, Managing Director of SME Foundation.
This year’s summit featured 46 entrepreneurs, including representatives from 17 clusters in sectors such as leather, light engineering, handloom, home textile, bamboo-cane, wood, pottery, and jewelry, along with 12 women-led enterprises. Nearly 50 chain buyer houses also participated in the summit.
After the discussion session, the Industry Adviser and the World Bank Director visited the exhibition of products made by the entrepreneurs.
