Moldova could get attractive for IT businesses, international experts say

Chisinau, 25 April /MOLDPRES/-More international experts unveiled success practices and factors that facilitated the state-funded IT entrepreneurship, at the Information Technology and Communications Ministry today. The presentation is part of the competitiveness project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Director of USAID Moldova, Thomas Rhodes said the American people were backing Moldova’s EU integration efforts and economic development. “In this context, it is very important that Moldova creates favorable conditions for the development of its IT sector, which ranks first on the top of competitiveness priorities. We hope the international expertise we bring you will help enhance the technological entrepreneurship,” Rhodes noted.

Attending the round-table at the Information Technology and Communications Ministry were experts from Denmark, Lithuania, Georgia and Chile, where state-funded support programmes for the IT entrepreneurship sector are successfully being implemented. According to them, the state support helped these countries create a favorable environment for drawing investments and increase the number of IT companies.

“The Georgian government created Georgia's Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA), which succeeded to set up more partnerships. Though their approaches are different, they bring results in the field. We recommend Moldova follows the Georgian example and establishes as more local and global partnerships as possible, in order to develop its IT entrepreneurship sector. Thus, Moldova will have the chance to become an important destination for IT businesses,” the head of GITA’s strategic development department, Giorgi Kintsurashvili said.

For his part, Information Technology and Communications Minister Vasile Botnari said Moldova’s IT market had a stable dynamics and a visible growth was being forecast for the next years. “In order to back the IT entrepreneurship, the Information Technology and Communications Ministry promoted a law on IT parks, recently adopted by the parliament. It is an attractive offer for potential residents, with a single tax of seven per cent and exemptions from VAT on imported equipment, limitation of state controls and others. The Information Technology and Communications will further focus on newly founded high-tech companies, which could become a real growth-engine for the IT sector and for Moldova’s economy in general,” Botnari noted.

(Reporter L. Grubii, Editor A. Raileanu)