Overview of progress and needs for further action in selected PoA Areas of Intervention (AoI)  Income generation for women and the disabled (AoI# 2.5)  Agro-based/agro-processing/MSMEs development (AoI#2.6)  Market-driven education, skills and human development (AoI#2.7) By Ferdous Alam Economic Access Advisor NFPCSP/MoFDM FPWG Consultation on the draft NFP Plan of Action Monitoring Report December 2009

1.Progress towards policy targets AoI#2.5: Income generation for women and the disabled

1. Progress towards policy targets (a)Women’s employment in agricultural activities Difficult to gauge – lack of up-to-date information but latest Labor Force Surveys indicate:  Increased participation of women in agriculture (incl. fisheries)  : 58%  : 68.1%  but lower than, for instance, in India (73% in 2003)  Important role of micro-credit  But rural women’s employment remains precarious:  High prevalence of unpaid work ( 72%)  Limited self-employment opportunities  Low wages (men earn on average 1.52 times more than women (Rahman, 2006) (b) Employment generation for the disabled (10% of population)  Here again, lack of data  Employment quota set by GoB (10%) not met (ESCAP, 2007)  Mean employment rate of persons with disabilities is less than a quarter of those without a disability (Chowdhury, 2005)

2. Recent policy development/actions underway Women’s employment  GoB reaffirmed its commitment to implement the Women Development Policy  Large number of interventions (MoSW, MoWCA, LGD, RDCD, BRDB and NGOs) for income generation, including self-employment opportunities.  MTBF ministries have to systematically report on gender dimensions and “impact advancements” of their operations and programs  Poor rural women’s participation: promoted in many community-based rural development programs (the Rural Roads Maintenance Programme (LGD), the Rural Employment Opportunities for Public Assets (REOPA) program (LGD with support of EC and UNDP, ), the Char Livelihoods Program) Employment generation for the disabled  Initiation of micro-credit for persons with disabilities with soft terms and conditions (MoSW and others)

3. Needs for further action  Development of comprehensive, regularly updated databases on employment status of women and the disabled.  Greater coordination between agencies supporting women’s employment (to avoid duplication of efforts/maximize synergies)  Strengthening poor rural women’s access to agricultural land, productive inputs and markets  Enhancing women’s participation in public work programs through the provision of adequate support services (flexible hours, child care)  Increasing number and scaling up of income-generation programs for the disabled and monitoring on-going micro- credit initiatives

Agro-based/agro-processing/MSMEs development (AoI#2.6) 1. Progress towards policy targets

Agro-based/agro-processing/MSMEs development (AoI#2.6) 1. Progress towards policy targets  Lack of consistent/up-to data information, but indication of progress MSMEs:  2003: 5.9 million (Mintoo, 2006 – private survey) – 40 % of employment  2006: 6.8 million in 2006 (WB, 2008).  Access to finance = major constraint Small and Cottage Industries: Value added annual growth rate:  FY06-07: + 9.7%, but slowdown in FY07-08 (8.5% est.) Share in manufacturing GDP:  increased in recent past to 29% in FY07-08 (but lower than in FY04-05) Agro-based industries:  50 % of total industries - 60% of industry employment (Haque 2009)  Significant growth in recent period: +8% per annum (WB, 2008)

 Expansion of credit refinancing facilities for SMEs (Budget FY09-10: Tk 10 billion of seed money)  Expansion of micro-credit channeled through PKSF (lending to large micro-finance NGOs and Support to Small Entrepreneurship program  ADB assistance to the SME cell of the MoI with the implementation of the Sector Development Program II (SMESDP II) – coverage of micro- enterprises unclear  Increased funding for Agro-based/agro-processing industries: under BB Refinance Scheme for Agro-Processing industries Tk 1.5 billion earmarked as credit support for agro-based industries under Budget FY Recent policy developments/actions underway

3. Needs for further action  Defining the MSME sector + greater prioritization under on-going SME support  Improving MSMEs’s access to finance, in particular development of banking products adapted to their specific needs as well as credit guarantee schemes  Better and updated knowledge of sectors/value-chains in agri-business (International Finance Corporation engaged in baseline surveys and sector studies in Bangladesh, that will focus notably on agribusiness (agri-processing poultry and seed)

1.Progress towards policy targets Market-driven education, skills and human development (AoI#2.7 )

1.Progress towards policy targets  Technical and Vocational Eduction Training (TVET) system key to matching skills with market BUT,  Lack of data on adequacy of TVET supply of graduates to occupational and qualification structures of the economy  VET graduates’ employability is found to be greater than for general education graduates (World Bank, 2006) Trends in TVET enrollment:  Enrollment in polytechnic institutes, technical and commercial colleges: +1.8% in , compared to 0.3% in the previous year (Bangladesh Economic Review based on BANBEIS)  TVET enrollment: % between 1999 ( people) and 2005 (241336) (BANBEIS), but low compared to enrollment in lower/secondary education (ratio: 3:100)

2. Recent policy developments/actions underway Among major initiatives  The TVET Reform Project (2008/ /12) implemented by ILO and GoB = > enhancing flexibility, quality and relevance of TVET  The Skills Development Project ( ) implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) under the lead of the Ministry of Education (MoE)

2. Needs for further action  Generation of regular data to monitor the relevance of skill supply through the TVET system and market demand for skills  Improving the quality of the manpower supply to the agricultural sector shall deserve special consideration in skill development programs:  enrollment in agricultural universities stagnating (+ 0.4% year in FY06-07 and FY07-08)

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