Small and Medium Enterprise Development Policy 2002.

Based on the importance of this sector and its potential, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Policy (SME) has been designed to revitalise the sector to enable it to contribute to the objective of the National Development Vision 2025. Furthermore, it aims at creating a mechanism to put in place an effective institutional framework for its implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation. Central to all these strategies is the ultimate objective of attaining rural industrialisation in line with the Poverty Reduction Strategy and the Vision 2025. The policy aims at revolutionising the SME sector to make it a vibrant and sustainable agent of stimulation of growth of the economy. In recognition of this, various interventions, including policies and programmes have been initiated to develop the sector. This policy focuses at encouraging women and other disadvantaged groups’ participation in SME activities through the following strategies: i. Facilitate SME service providers to design special programmes for women and disadvantaged groups. ii. Identify factors inhibiting women and other disadvantaged groups from going into business and design programmes which will address those factors.