Moldovan PM participates in launch of programme on digital transformation of small, medium-sized enterprises

Chisinau, 24 June /MOLDPRES/ - The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from non-refundable financial support, mentoring and informative support for digitalizing the business. The governmental programme on digital transformation of SMEs today was launched by the Organization for Small-and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM), in partnership with the Future Technologies Activity (FTA) Project and is to be implemented with the financing of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.       

Attending the event, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said that, despite the regional crises and the difficult economic situation in Moldova, the cabinet had identified the resources needed for policies of backing entrepreneurs and approved the programme, which, besides the access to grants, will facilitate transfers of expertise and good practices to beneficiaries. Thus, the programme will provide an integrated approach of supporting SMEs, through the introduction of digital instruments, in order to develop the productivity and competitiveness of the local enterprises. According to the PM, as a result, the volume of investments in the national economy will grow, foreign financial means will be attracted and the business from Moldova will change according to the European model.     

„Now, when we have got the status of candidate country and are not just neighbours of EU, but future members, we have the task to become more competitive and more modern. We should get up to the EU states in our economic development and prove that we can not only benefit from the status of member, but also contribute to the development of the entire European Union. In this respect, we count on the achievement of all goals of the Programme, creation of new jobs, enhancement of beneficiaries’ productivity and I assure you that we will continue financing such positive practices. We will be able to successfully get out of crises, only if we invest in our economic agents, in the digitalization of their work and development of new practices. We work, invest and integrate into EU together,’’ Natalia Gavrilita said.   

Among the programme’s goals, there is the optimization of processes of production and sale, development of the economic trade, implementation of practices of business friendly to the digital transformation, facilitation of the process of reducing the circulation of physical coin and development of courier services.  

The Programme’s beneficiaries are to be selected based on contest, with the observance of the conditions of eligibility. The beneficiary’s contribution will account for at least 30 per cent of the investment project’s value and the non-refundable financial support within the Programme is of 70 per cent at the most of the value of the investment project, provided in installments. It will not exceed 250,000 lei for micro enterprises and 500,000 lei for small- and medium-sized enterprises. The budget envisaged by ODIMM is of 30 million lei for the Programme’s implementation in 2022.   

The term of the programme’s implementation is of 36 months, with possibility to extend it, based on the additional financial means available.

Photo: Government