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FPWG Consultation on the draft NFP Plan of Action Monitoring Report 2009 6 December 2009. 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)
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FPWG Consultation on the draft NFP Plan of Action Monitoring Report 2009 6 December 2009 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
AoI#2.5: Income generation for women and the disabled 1.Progress towards policy targets
1. Progress towards policy targets • 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) • 2002-03: 58% • 2005-06: 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 1997. • 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, 2007-2012), 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)
2. Recent policy developments/actions underway • 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 FY07-08
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)
Market-driven education, skills and human development (AoI#2.7) 1.Progress towards policy targets
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 2007-08, compared to 0.3% in the previous year (Bangladesh Economic Review based on BANBEIS) • TVET enrollment: + 76.1% between 1999 (137006 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 (2008/09-2011/12) implemented by ILO and GoB = > enhancing flexibility, quality and relevance of TVET • The Skills Development Project (2008-2013) 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)