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Karachi: IFC, a member of the
World Bank Group, on Tuesday signed an agreement with the
Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF(P)] – an agency
of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to support the
growth of Small and Medium Organizations (SMOs) and businesses
in Pakistan by providing training and skills development
to both businessmen and women in the country.
The IFC and AKF(P), will partner to offer IFC’s Business
Edge management training product to Pakistani SMOs and entrepreneurs
seeking to grow their businesses.
The IFC will train 20 Business Edge trainers who will be
selected by AKF(P). These trainers will then deliver Business
Edge training for small and medium enterprises at workshops
to be held between July and November 2010 in Gilgit-Baltistan
and Chitral. For more information about Business Edge see
www.businessedge-me.com.
Al-Nashir Jamal, AKF(P)’s CEO, said, “The training
will not only benefit the organizations but also the individuals
employed by these small and medium organizations. This partnership
with IFC will help fill a gap in management training in
Pakistan, helping social entrepreneurs gain the skills they
need to grow.”
Khawar Ansari, IFC’s Business Edge Country Coordinator,
said, “Small and medium enterprises are catalysts
for growth and employment generation. By expanding the reach
of our Business Edge program in Pakistan, we will provide
a greater number of smaller businesses with the training
they need to grow and create jobs.”
This partnership builds on a long-standing relationship
between IFC and the AKDN around the world and in the Middle
East and North Africa. IFC and AKDN previously partnered
to create the First Microfinance Bank of Pakistan and the
First Microfinance Bank of Afghanistan. Both organizations
work towards creating opportunities for people to escape
poverty and improve their lives.
IFC’s Business Edge is delivered by selected local
training partners and certified local trainers and sets
a new standard for business training in developing countries.
It was rolled out in the Middle East and North Africa region
in 2004 and is available in Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan,
and Yemen, and in other IFC regions including Latin America
and the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.—RT
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