Moldovan PM participates in event of launch of Start for Youth Programme

Chisinau, 5 July /MOLDPRES/ - The Organization for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM) launched  a new Start for Youth Programme today. Young people aged between 18 and 35 years, who want to start or develop a business, can benefit from financing and consultative support within the programme. About 20 million lei was allocated for the programme’s implementation this year, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.     

Attending the event, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said that the government, in continuation, would encourage young people to start new businesses, in order to strengthen the sector of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises, so that they become an ever stronger engine of the national economy. In this respect, the cabinet has already undertaken more actions: it increased ODIMM’s budget, allocated about 10 million lei for cultural vouchers. The state also backs investments in the food security, energy efficiency, digitalization and diversification of sales markets.      

At the same time, jointly with development partners, support programmes were launched, among which the Start for Youth Programme, which implies grants worth up to 200,000 lei and a crediting line with a non-refundable share of 15 per cent. ‘’This assistance is quite important for the survival and development of business. We have a grant component, as well as a loan one,  as a business must be initially supported, but is should also become sustainable, bring revenues and be able to create jobs,’’ the PM said.       

At the same time, Natalia Gavrilita stressed that the part of consultancy was also integrated in all programmes launched, as entrepreneurs, switching from one level to another in developing business, need the support of a community, the advice of other entrepreneurs or certain connections which ODIMM can facilitate.  

„All over the world, small enterprises are set up, experiment, learn, sometime fail and entrepreneurs start again and again, until they find the perfect formula for increasing the business. The government wants to participate namely in this process of experimenting and learning, through its assistance. We back young people’s integration in the economic circulation; we believe that young people are Moldova’s future and we must create for them as many as opportunities as possible here, at home,’’ the prime minister noted.    

On the period February 2009 – May 2022, ODIMM implemented the Start for Youth Programme – a sustainable business at home, through which over 400 young people accessed non-refundable financing worth up to 180,000 lei and more than 1,700 young people were trained in the entrepreneurial sector and guided in the process of elaboration of investment projects.   

Photo: Government