CCC Solutions and CITI Bank led ‘Rural Economic Empowerment Program’ launched

The ‘Rural Economic Empowerment Program’, a joint effort between the CCC Solutions of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and CITI Bank, Sri Lanka, which is aimed at nurturing prospective rural entrepreneurs successfully, conducted its inaugural ‘entrepreneurship’ training program in the district of Puttalam recently. It was held at Udappuwa, a fishing village located in the North Western Coastal Belt of Sri Lanka. 

The training conducted as per the foundation modules developed by the ILO accredited ‘Start and Improve Your Business’ (SIYB) Program attracted over 60 prospective rural entrepreneurs with the majority of them consisting of women. The training was conducted by a master trainer of SIYB Program using a highly participatory approach encouraging exchange of ideas and sharing of experiences. The participants, who were exposed to a structured training program for the first time, highly appreciated the knowledge and experience gained through the training program and expressed their interest in continuous participation in future capacity building programs. 

Introducing the program, CCC Senior Assistant Secretary General Chandrarathna Vithanage stated, “In most of the micro and small enterprise development programs, the main focus has been facilitating access to finance. However, having access to finance alone will not guarantee success, therefore, capacity building of entrepreneurs through providing required training and business development services is equally or more important.”

HNB Udappuwa Branch Manager Sujeewa Fernando, commenting on the partnership with CCCS and CITI, guaranteed micro financing for potential entrepreneurs. He also said this program will help build individual’s entrepreneurial capacity, financial and business management skills, technical know-how and also provide support to find potential markets for their products. 

The ‘Rural Economic Empowerment Program’ aims to find potential entrepreneurs from the across the country and train them to fine-tune their business idea to a concrete business plan and enable them to obtain financial assistance from a bank. The NDB Bank and HNB have agreed to provide micro finance for implementation of their business plans. 

CCC Solutions is the main implementing partner of this project, while the CITI Bank, a leading global Bank, which has its presence in Sri Lanka, will provide overall direction and financial resources, guidance and professional expertise for training and capacity building of prospective entrepreneurs. Citi Bank has been operating in Sri Lanka since 1979 and their participation signals its commitment towards promoting the national cause of livelihood development at grassroots level through sustainable financial inclusion. 

Citi Sri Lanka together with Citi Foundation has engaged in many CSR projects since its inception, demonstrating its dedication towards enhancing the economic opportunities for individuals and families of Sri Lanka.