THE government has challenged lending institutions to take risks and work with the small scale entrepreneurs (SMEs) to create more jobs and lift masses out of poverty. Limited access to finance is still a major constraint to SMEs.
Data from the National Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) baseline report (2010) indicate that there were about 2.7 million SMEs, out of which only 6.5 per cent have access to financial services.
This was said yesterday in Dar es Salaam by the Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, Ms Janet Mbene, at an official opening of the workshop on access to finance for women entrepreneurs.