The “Matching Grants” scheme was launched by the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade (MIET), by signing individual agreements with 139 beneficiaries of local businesses. These grants are part of the “Competitiveness and Export Readiness Project – CERP”, borrowed from the World Bank.
In this ceremony, Minister Rozeta Hajdari, congratulated all grant beneficiaries, assuring them that government support for businesses will be continuous. She expressed happiness that she is fulfilling her promises to support local businesses with export potential, increase employment and more national income.
"I am happy that today in front of you we are fulfilling another promise and we are proving that Kurti Government is determined to continue, as never before, for more support to businesses and the private sector in general. We are now even after a crisis from Covid-19 and we are aiming to be part of the value chain, in the region and beyond, while we have a competitive advantage that we must use for investments in the Republic of Kosovo. The Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade (MIET), through the Competitiveness and Export Readiness for Project – CERP project, worth 9.8 million euros, borrowed from the World Bank, aims to support local enterprises in increasing competitiveness and export capacity, improving the quality of their products and efficiency in production, processing and service as well as to enable the digitalization of communication and services ", stated the Minister.
Minister Hajdari also spoke about the purpose of these businesses grants.
The Matching Grants Program is one of the government support schemes for micro, small and medium enterprises, to improve their competitiveness and export readiness, where the main objective is to increase competitiveness by meeting the requirements for the implementation of standards and certification of products required for export markets ", she said.
To be part of the value chain at the regional level and beyond, through exports, Minister Hajdari has reaffirmed that businesses must have quality and certified products.
"With the Matching Grants Program we aim to meet the requirements for the implementation of standards and product certification required for export markets, to finance the purchase of production and processing machinery, equipment used for conformity assessment bodies, access in Business Development Services/Trainings, as well as the financing of small equipment for digital communication ", emphasized the Minister.
According to the good governance principles, respectively the criteria of comprehensiveness, equality and transparency in the MIET support scheme, out of 139 local businesses benefiting from the scheme, there are 31 women entrepreneurs who have been declared grant winners, and it is important to mention that out of 5 first winners, with most points, are 2 successful women entrepreneurs: Mrs. Emine Duraku from the company Agrokrusha L.l.c. and Mrs. Arlinda Canaj from the company NMA L.l.c.
With as many quality products in the international markets, in addition to the contribution to the economy, our valuable entrepreneurs, enhance even more the image of our Republic.
