APEC governments urged to reserve some ICT procurement for SMEs

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) governments have been urged to reserve a percentage of government procurement in ICT for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to enable them to ride out the effects of the global economic crisis.

Ira Kasoff, US deputy assistant secretary of commerce for Asia, said some 200 participants of the APEC SME Technology Entrepreneur Seminar, held in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, also recommended that APEC economies increase capital investment and lending to ICT SMEs, adopt technology-neutral standards and strengthen protection of intellectual property rights.

"The conclusion from this seminar is that SMEs play a strong role in technology innovation. As they are disproportionately affected by the current economic downturn, programs and policies are needed for SMEs to bounce back and meaningfully participate as drivers of investment and employment to contribute to the growth and prospects of APEC member economies," said Kasoff, who acted as a facilitator for one of the panel sessions at the seminar.

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