Share on Facebook
March 2009 - Business Features
March 2009

Q&A: Dr Abdul Rahman Attar
Secretary general of the board of the Syrian Enterprise and Business Centre

Words Waseem Abdo
Photo Ibrahim al-Malla

alt

The Syrian Enterprise and Business Centre (SEBC) has now functioned as a local institution for more than two years. How successful has it been in your opinion?

Success means living up to your promises and the SEBC has done this. Over the past two years, the SEBC has continued to work on its long-term projects, but at the same time it has expanded its area of work with new initiatives. It plays an evermore important role on the Syrian business scene.

All of this would not have been possible without a strong commitment from the Syrian government and the European Union (EU), especially their ongoing support for the SEBC’s SME Support Programme.

What are your plans for the immediate future?

The SEBC acts as an implementation agency for international partners’ programmes, which aim at developing the private sector, and, more specifically, small and medium enterprises. With this in mind, the SEBC’s role is to streamline the SME Support Programme’s activities and channel them to the business community, so as to ensure the right level of intervention.

The same goes for the EU’s Quality Programme, which is currently being implemented, as well as for upcoming EU programmes, such as the Business Environment Simplification Programme and the Trade Enhancement Programme.

One of the key institutional development objectives of the SME Support Programme is to continue upgrading the SEBC. The programme provides technical assistance allowing the SEBC to realise its management improvement and expansion plans.

Could you give an overview of these new initiatives?

Facilitating access to finance is one of the major breakthroughs. Finance is one of the main market vehicles and the SEBC helps SMEs prepare business plans and update financial statements according to international standards. The SEBC recently signed an agreement with the Syrian government to establish the Loan Guarantee Institution, which will help viable SMEs get bank loans against low collateral, providing a guarantee for any unfunded amounts loaned.

From January 1, 2009, the National Competitiveness Observatory started operating from within the SEBC. We do not want to create false expectations, but we do promise that we will not only continue the successful work done under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Programme, but also improve the quality of annual competitiveness reports and produce a host of related reports addressing potentially competitive sectors.

Other important achievements in the context of SME development include the SEBC’s involvement in formulating a national definition of a SME that meets international standards. The SEBC has also established the Companies House, where companies can obtain licences in less than an hour.

Are there any plans to expand your physical network of branches?

It is no secret that the SEBC training component is becoming independent and moving to a separate location in Damascus. Soon it will branch out to other major Syrian cities.

Previously, we also launched two business incubators in Damascus and Aleppo.

The SEBC Explained

The Syrian Enterprise & Business Centre (SEBC) was established in March 2006 as a Syrian private foundation designed to support the Syrian economy. Building on the successes of the EUR 27m funded SEBC I and SEBC II (1996-2006), it serves as an implementation agency for projects that aim to develop the private sector and SMEs in particular.

Its main objectives include supporting the private sector’s competitiveness and access to international markets, increasing the number of enterprises and facilitating the establishment of an efficient network of business support institutions.

Currently, the centre is implementing four EU-funded programmes: the SME Support Programme (EUR 15m), which provides a full range of services to the private sector and the government, the Quality Programme (EUR 12m), which aims to increase the share of Syrian products and services in international trade through better conformity with technical requirements and international standards, the Business Environment Simplification Programme (EUR 5m) which aims to achieve a simplification of the regulatory procedures for doing business, and the Trade Enhancement Programme (EUR 15m), which has a strong component on customs facilitation.