RDB Bank empowers Northern entrepreneurs

RDB Bank, recognised as the country’s leading state-owned development bank, has launched a programme aiming to empower the national economy by creating 15,000 entrepreneurs at Grama Niladhari divisional level. 

As part of this national initiative to contribute to the economy through these entrepreneurs, a programme to mobilise the potential entrepreneurs in the Northern province was held recently.

At this, initial discussions were successfully held to obtain the participation of the National Entrepreneurship Development Authority, Industrial Development Board and other government institutions, to implement the entrepreneur identification programme covering all Northern province Grama Niladhari Divisions of the Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Jaffna and Mullaitivu districts and through this, programmes were prepared to identify 1000 entrepreneurs as the first phase.

A comprehensive programme to strengthen the national economy by transforming fishermen into fishermen entrepreneurs was also implemented during the two days, targeting the fishing community in the Mannar, Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu areas, in collaboration with Cey-Nor Foundation Ltd and North Sea Ltd.

A notable number of major industrialists participated in the entrepreneur summit held for industrialists in the Northern province. Here, the bank’s plans to implement training programmes for entrepreneurs were explained and this programme was appreciated by the entrepreneurs. Attention was also drawn to implementing a comprehensive programme to reduce rural poverty by creating entrepreneurial clusters around strengthened key entrepreneurs under this programme.

This programme was implemented under the leadership of the Entrepreneurship Development Division of the head office of the bank, North Central Provincial Office and Northern Provincial Branch Network.