The Business Centre Corporation (BCC) has stated that it will provide opportunities to more than 100 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the SME Hub.
BCC officially opened SME Hub in Male' City on December 15 last year. The ground and first floor of SME Hub are currently open for businesses. The ground floor consists of spaces for a cafe', a florist, and a small bookshop for local authors. The first floor is reserved for food vendors with a total of 19 kiosks.
Speaking on a programme aired on PSM News, Chief Commercial Officer (COO) Samih Adam said that BCC does not abandon kiosks after they have been given to businesses. He said that BCC will guide businesses throughout their journey from the application to its registration process. In addition, he said the BCC accommodated nearly 80 businesses on the ground and first floors of the SME Hub. The second floor will be completed and the entire SME hub will be opened to more than 100 businesses.
BCC is preparing to open the second floor of the SME Hub with a total of 10 kiosks for lease. BCC stated that three of the kiosks will be reserved for businesses selling garments and the other kiosks will be reserved for arts, crafts, and accessories. There will also be a mini cinema, salon, and gaming area on the floor.
The requirements for businesses to have a kiosk on the second floor of the SME Hub include being a Maldivian citizen, above 18, registered as an SME and not having received a kiosk from the SME Hub. In addition, the opportunity will be given to SMEs selling locally-made products.