ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the commercial banks to provide easy loans to women entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises, and to assist them in exporting their products, as SMEs have full potential for the development of the national economy and for increasing exports.

Presiding over a meeting to review the government’s measures to uplift SMEs, the premier expressed satisfaction with the roadmap prepared by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and the Ministry of Industries, and directed that an implementation plan with achievable targets be presented within a specified time frame.

He directed that processing sectors in agriculture be granted SME status, and welcomed the steps taken to include women in small and medium-sized industries.

During the briefing by SMEDA, the Ministry of Industries and Production, and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), it was informed that 48 initiatives were being implemented in eight strategic sectors for the development of SMEs, which would ensure the achievement of growth targets over the next two and four years in a phased manner. A report on this year’s targets and their implementation was also presented.

The participants were also briefed on access to local and export markets through roadshows and exhibitions, increased investment through easy and low-cost loans from banks, strengthening of value chains through vendor profiling, and measures for inclusion in the formal economy through the establishment of an SME database.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2026