DAVAO CITY - A comprehensive database of business opportunities and development indicators for small and medium enterprises in Mindanao and Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) can now be accessed online.

The Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) Secretariat's Private Sector-SME Development (PS-SMED) Unit, through the Asian Development Bank's Technical Assistance Project for SMEs in Mindanao, has recently developed a webpage for Mindanao-EAGA SMEs which provides small traders online access to information necessary to improve the delivery of their products and services.

The Mindanao-EAGA SME webpage can be accessed through www.medco.gov.ph, the official website of MEDCo.

According to Ronald Sison who served as ADB TA Project Team Leader, the web-enabled SME database system will enhance more information exchange among SMEs, development organizations and their clients.

"Now that an online SME database is available, we hope that the SMEs in Mindanao will take advantage of the internet as an effective communication and marketing tool not only to exchange information but to find business opportunities of bringing their products and services to foreign markets," Sison said.

The Mindanao-EAGA SME webpage contains information on SME profile of EAGA member countries, directory of existing SMEs, business development service providers, experts as well as emerging opportunities from development programs and projects and financing windows.

Data indicators such as business name registration and SME population, SME-related news and features stories, as well as recent and upcoming events can also be found on the web.

The webpage also has downloadable files for SMEs and provides hyperlinks to institutions with financing programs, policies, marketing information, infra support, technology and HRD training assistance for SMEs in Mindanao.

The SME database supports the overall SME development strategy for the BIMP-EAGA by strengthening institutional linkages among SMEs and partner institutions in the government and private sector throughout the growth polygon.

President Arroyo has put forward job creation through SME development as one of the priority focus in her 10-point agenda.

SME WEBPAGE. This newly-created webpage features SME profiles, directory, development indicators, financing windows and hyperlinks in an effort to provide small and medium enterprises an easy access to data and information as well as facilitate an online information exchange with SME development partners in Mindanao. Developed with the Asian Development Bank's Technical Assistance Project for SME's in Mindanao, the Mindanao-EAGA SME webpage supports government's commitment to SME development which has been identified as one of the prority focus areas in President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo's 10-point agenda. The Mindanao-EAGA webpage may be accessed at www.medco.gov.ph.

MEDCo.