A large participation of 29 officers from ADFIAP member-institutions attended the 8th Study Tour Program (STP) on Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSME) Financing and Development conducted by the Institute of Development Finance (IDF), ADFIAP’s professional training and career development center, on March 21-25, 2011 in Manila and its environs. The participants came from ADFIAP members in Bangladesh, Palau, India, Oman, Samoa, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.
This program was aimed at enhancing the participants’ knowledge and understanding of MSME development policy, financing, regulation and supervision, with particular emphasis on the experience of the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia whose government has invested substantial capital and human resources in the promotion and development of the MSME sector.
The course is one of its kind in its organization and structure as it gave a more holistic, practical and “hands-on” approach to MSME financing and development by incorporating different learning methodologies such as briefings, direct interaction with policy-makers, institutional visits to conduits of MSME funds as well as project site visits for a fuller understanding of the significant roles that all stakeholders and support organizations play in the development, financing and regulation of MSME in the Philippines. The program also afforded the participants to share and exchange their knowledge and ideas with each other, specifically on MSME financing and support in their respective countries.
The institutional visits and briefings conducted were at the “Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), People’s Credit and Finance Corporation (PCFC) , Center for Agriculture and Rural Development-Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD-MRI) and the Small Business Corporation (SBC).
Mr. Alberto Reyno and Ms. Sandra Honrado, IDF Head and Sr. Executive for Programs, respectively, represented ADFIAP in the program. For interest in this program, please visit this link: https://www.adfiap.org/events/calendar-of-events/ and/or email [email protected]