The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has stepped up its efforts to encourage small and medium enterprises to get internationally recognised certifications through its historic ‘SME Certification & International Accreditation Grant Programme’.

Today (June 9) is World Accreditation Day 2026, commemorated with the theme “Innovation, Trust and Sustainability: The Power of Accreditation”. SMEDA’s efforts to reach out a maximum number of entrepreneurs receive resonance.

The day signifies the importance of accreditation in establishing confidence in products, services and systems, a SMEDA official told reporters here Monday. The global observance (under Global ACI) was jointly established by the International certification Forum and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and recognises how certification promotes confidence, facilitates trade and supports sustainable economic growth.

SMEDA is assisting the SME sector to get worldwide certification to access the export markets in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister for development of SMEs which will be implemented under the supervision of Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant of PM on Industries and Production.

Under the scheme, SMEDA is granting 70 percent matching grant to meet the certification cost up to Rs 800,000 and related consultation cost up to Rs 200,000. The reaction from entrepreneurs has been particularly promising as enterprises from all sectors and locations of the country have applied for certification support, demonstrating rising awareness of the necessity of compliance, officials coordinating the project said.

The effort, officials said, is meant to encourage SMEs, particularly women and startups, to get certifications such as ISO standards, HACCP, Halal Certification and CE Marking. They stress that the project is being implemented through a transparent method, with applications handled on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to compliance with eligibility standards.

The team has received over 125 applications from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from different regions of the country and 36 of these have been approved by a committee following screening, officials said. They say most beneficiaries anticipate to receive the promised grant soon.

Officials say a crucial part of the project is special focus on women-led firms, start-ups and businesses operating in neglected locations.

They note that SMEDA has also done massive awareness and outreach initiatives including training, media engagement and digital advertising to educate entrepreneurs on the value of certification and compliance. They note that awareness and capacity building initiatives related to the project have already benefited over 1,100 entrepreneurs with the cooperation of the National Compliance Centre.

They believe SMEDA and NCC are shortly going to start fresh training sessions of 3 to 5 days with renewed focus.

The industry experts feel that the increased adoption of international standards can go a long way in strengthening Pakistan’s export environment as it will help SMEs to integrate into global value chains and access new markets.

SMEDA has provided straightforward process through SME Registration Portal for the purpose of encouragement and facilitation of the entrepreneurs.