SMEDA mulls on-ground support for flagship cluster showcase participants

 Lahore: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) is working to ensure sustained engagement with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to create a meaningful impact for these businesses and the national economy after the successful conduct of the first-ever “Made in Pakistan - SME Cluster Showcase Expo 2026.”

The flagship event brought together more than 170 exhibitors representing several clusters from all over Pakistan and provided them a rare platform to display their products and explore opportunities for valuable business linkages and on-ground support for scaling their businesses and improving export capabilities, say officials engaged in the process.

With women-led businesses and microenterprises high on priority, officials say the three-day Expo generated ‘strong interest’ from financial institutions, investors and international stakeholders to work with Pakistan’s clusters and enable them to enhance their competitiveness and contribute to national economic objectives.

Officials reaffirm that the real impact of the event will unfold in the months ahead through structured follow-up, facilitation and targeted support in line with the economic vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. SMEDA is now focused on converting business leads, buyer interest and policy dialogue into tangible outcomes for the participating enterprises, they add.

Following the Expo, they say, SMEDA has initiated a post-event support mechanism to help MSMEs translate visibility into sustainable business opportunities. This includes follow-up with buyers and procurement heads, facilitation of subcontracting arrangements and advisory support for enterprises that demonstrated export potential during the event.

SMEDA teams will also provide assistance in product refinement, quality standards, documentation and linkage with financial institutions to ensure growth of these enterprises, say officials.

SMEDA is already working on a three-year Business Plan and data and insights gathered during the Expo will facilitate its execution through targeted interventions. By identifying high-potential clusters, gaps and financing needs, officials will work on capacity-building, export readiness, subcontracting and access to finance initiatives, explain officials.

They say the Authority plans to work closely with chambers, trade bodies and development partners to ensure sustained guidance and facilitation for these enterprises, especially women and micro businesses, to enable them to become part of real value chains.

Highlighting the significance of the Inception Workshop on “Bananas in Pakistan’s Bio-economy: Transforming Waste into Textile” held on the sidelines of the cluster showcase, officials say it’s an example of how local ideas can be scaled into commercially viable and export-oriented enterprises.

As a follow-up, they say, SMEDA plans to work with the partner organizations and other stakeholders to cash in on the opportunity to promote green economy by using banana waste for value-added textile products, offer technical support to local entrepreneurs and make it a source of revenue for Pakistan.

Support will also be extended to help the enterprises meet quality, certification and compliance requirements needed for domestic and international markets, according to officials.

Officials note that the Expo is envisioned as a national platform that will evolve from visibility to structured sourcing, export partnerships and cluster development over the next few years.