The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has been given a new organizational direction aimed at strengthening support for SMEs, micro-enterprises, women entrepreneurs and climate-related challenges, and the authority will soon open regional offices in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. The SMEDA board, chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, also agreed that the Human Resources Committee will lead a prompt and transparent process to appoint a new chief executive.
The 31st SMEDA board meeting was chaired by Haroon Akhtar Khan and attended by Secretary Industries and Production Saif Anjum, SMEDA CEO Soqrat Aman Rana and other senior officials. New board members were welcomed at the session, where senior leadership outlined changes to the authority’s structure and priorities.
Under directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the board finalized a revamped SMEDA structure emphasizing an outsourcing model and strengthened policy and program design. Officials said the redesign is intended to make SMEDA more agile and focused on delivering targeted support services.
The board agreed the agency will prioritize initiatives that directly support small and medium enterprises, micro-enterprises and women entrepreneurs, and will address climate-related challenges affecting the sector. These priorities reflect a broader government push to use SMEs as engines of economic growth and social inclusion.
To extend SMEDA’s reach, the board announced plans to establish regional offices in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. Officials said these offices will improve access to services and programs for entrepreneurs in underserved regions.
A central agenda item was the appointment of a new SMEDA CEO. The board decided that the Human Resources Committee will be nominated to finalize the appointment, with the process to be carried out immediately and transparently in line with the prime minister’s instructions.
Haroon Akhtar Khan stressed that the CEO appointment will be strictly merit-based, with no compromise on transparency and fairness. He described SMEDA as a vital institution with significant potential and said the prime minister is personally committed to strengthening its role in empowering women, supporting micro-enterprises and driving SME growth.
Officials said the planned reforms and appointments are expected to enhance SMEDA’s capacity to shape SME development, contributing to broader economic and social transformation.
