NGOs urge introduction of microcredit course
Staff Correspondent
Leaders and representatives of Mircrofinance (MF) NGOs of Barisal division have underscored the need for a structured academic curriculum for microfinance through relevant disciplines under recognised universities in the country. They also suggested that the universities should disseminate the best practices of microfinance through research and have skilled human resources to strengthen this huge and vital sector. No other programmes in the country have reached the grassroots so extensively and successfully, they said at the fourth regional workshop on 'Global Microcredit Summit 2006: Bangladesh Perspective and Expectations' held at Begum Sufia Kamal Training and Resource Centre of Brac in Barisal recently. The workshop was jointly organised by Plan Bangladesh, Credit and Development Forum (CDF), The Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh (FNB) and The International Network of Alternative Microfinance Institutions (INAFI) in association with The Daily Star. Representatives from about 40 NGOs and mircrofinance institutions took part in the workshop. The participants also stressed the need for articulated vision by harmonising individual missions in the mircrofinance sector of the country that first institutionalised microcredit as the unique poverty alleviation strategy. FNB Director M Tajul Islam chaired the workshop moderated by INAFI Executive Director Atiqun Nabi. CDF Director Abdul Awal and Specialist of Family Economic Security of Plan Bangladesh Mohammad Tarequl Hoque were also present, says a press release.
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