Press releases

Organisation for the Development of the Sector of Small and Medium Enterprisescreated on 17 May 2007 at the initiative Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure in order to support the development of the HEI sector, it is the main implementing institution for the national support programmes and the first reference point for each entrepreneur in the Republic of Moldova. The results of 14 years of activity and the impact of entrepreneurial support instruments in Moldova’s economy were presented today in a press conferences, with the participation of the leadership of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure and of representatives of the main donor international organisations, partners of the IMMO.

Director-General, Iulia Costin stressed that the SME DSOs over the years had stated as a business ambassador, contributing to the development of Moldova’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Thus, in 14 years of activity, over 150 000 individuals benefited from ODIMM services, of which: at least 110 000 citizens received business advice. 38 000 companies were trained. 4500 companies received financing totalling more than Lei 665 millionwhich gave rise to investment in the national economy of charities Lei 2 billion and created approximately 11000 jobs.

“Throughout their activity, the IMMO has developed to complete its portfolio of new products and services for the R.Moldova R.Moldova HEI sector. With our help companies reduce operational costs, reduce business risks, add value to the brand, generate new sources of income and become competitive on the local and various external markets. The organisation currently manages 12 Business Support Programmes, most of them, provides training, funding and mentoring in an integrated way. ODIMM is present in all Moldovan regions from North to South, making available to the HMMs 11 Business Incubators for the forging of start-ups, 3 clusters to strengthen relations between regional actors; a network of advisory centres, in addition to the raionale councils, is in the process of setting up multifunctional Industrial Platforms to support local producers”.

According to the Director-General, Iulia Costin, during for 2021, with the support of the Government and external development partners, DSOIMM launch 7 new business support programmes which will increase the competitiveness of the HMMs, offer entrepreneurs, find it difficult to restart business (second chance), forgette rural tourism, boost technology transfer between universities and the private sector, and not least stimulate social enterprise creation, etc.

At the press conference, Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure (MEI), Mihail Lupașcu noted the active interlinkage between business, the governance policies targeting the HMM sector and their successful implementation by ODIMM.

“In 14 years of activity the IMMO has strengthened its role as the most important support institution for small and medium-sized enterprises, providing advisory, support and training services to young people and women with business ideas, migrants who are returning at home, companies with growth and export potential, all those interested in business. I and the DSOs will continue to be with entrepreneurs with existing instruments, launch new support initiatives and continue to innovate all of what they do to meet entrepreneurs’ needs.”stated Mihail Lupașcu. The MEI official also reiterated the importance of EU support through the opportunities offered by the Association and Free Trade Agreement for the HMM sector.

The results of the IMMO are due to both the support received from the State and the main donor international organisations.

European Union it is a reliable partner of DSOIMMthis contributed both through expertise and technical assistance, as well as through the financial support of entrepreneurs in the regions, the development of business support infrastructure and the digital transformation of companies. The integrated support of the European Union for the development of the SME sector and capacity building of ODIMM amounts to over EUR 17 million over the years.

Boris Filipov, Programme Manager, Economic Development and Market Opportunities in the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova congratulated the team DSOIMM for its effort to develop the HMM sector in Moldova.

“ODIMM has always been close to entrepreneurs, encouraging relevant support programmes, providing grants and business solutions. The EU has been supporting the MID sector in Moldova for many years as it believes in the potential of this sector to make a significant contribution to national socio-economic development and to make use of the opportunities offered by the Association Agreement. At the moment, there are around 30 local and bilateral EU programmes and projects that can benefit Moldovan small and medium-sized enterprises”.

At the same time, Boris Filipov ensured that European Union in its post-2020 programme, it will continue to support the SME sector, where the greening of the economy and the digital transformation will be among the top priorities. Finally, he expressed its conviction that DSOIMM it will devote even more efforts in the future to reward work – helping SMEs grow, be more resilient and better prepared for future challenges.

Thomas Foerch, Manager of the Project Centre of the Government of the Republic of Moldova in Economic Policies of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) reiterated the role of MSOs in increasing entrepreneurial culture, digital transformation and connecting Moldovan companies to regional and international value chains.

Country representative of UN Women Moldova, Dominika Stojanoska expressed the appreciation for the fruitful partnership and cooperation with DSOs for the economic empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality in the Republic of Moldova.

Tarik Sahovic, Special Specialist of the private sector from the World Bank Group stressed the importance of supporting and strengthening the institutional capacities of the SME DSO in implementing the strategy for the development of the MEH sector in the Republic of Moldova, the development of the most important financial instrument for the HIM – the SME Credit Guarantee Fund managed by DSOIMM and the development of the mechanism for the internationalisation of HEIs.

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