He said the sector was growing at 11.5 per cent annually. Citing the numbers from World Bank, he said: “600 million jobs will be needed in the next 15 years to absorb the growing global workforce, mainly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.” He also conceded the problems ailing the sector which is “handicapped by skill gaps, poor technology, regulatory complexities and trade barriers”, and said these challenges needed to be assailed for SMEs to realise their full potential. (IANS)