Sweden will allocate over $4.5 million to develop the export potential of entrepreneurs from both banks of the Dniester River.
Specifically, Sweden will provide new funding of $4 million 567.04 for the next three years. These resources will be used as part of the project "Development of Export Potential on the banks of the Dniester" (AdTrade), which has been implemented by UNDP since December 2018 with financial support from Sweden, and from summer 2021 - with financial assistance from Great Britain. A new stage of the project was launched at the conference "Development of Export Potential on the banks of the Dniester", organized on December 14 in Chisinau. It is planned that due to allocated funds the business environment on both banks of the Dniester River will continue to favorably influence the creation of trade partnerships, increase of competitiveness and development of export potential. "Having seen the excellent results of the "Export Potential Development on the banks of the Dniester" project, we are confident that the SME community on both banks of the Dniester River has the potential to grow. Sweden remains a committed partner in supporting the business environment and promoting exports to the EU and beyond. We are happy to announce that a cooperation agreement has already been signed with UNDP, and Sweden will continue to support the project "Export Potential Development on the banks of the Dniester" for the next 3 years," Swedish Ambassador to Moldova Katarina Fried said. According to her, this assistance will help improve the business environment and legal framework for the integration of exporters from the left bank of the Dniester River into Moldova's foreign trade. At least 70 companies will receive assistance in export certification and promotion, of which 40 companies will improve their competitiveness due to the infrastructure provided by the 4 created clusters. The additional funding will allow the development of more than 40 companies, as well as the creation of at least 200 jobs on both banks of the Dniester River. "Since June 2021, the UK, along with Sweden, has been supporting the UNDP project "Development of Export Potential on the banks of the Dniester", known as AdTrade. The UK is investing £1 million in the project by the end of 2023. AdTrade will help entrepreneurs on both banks of the Dniester to become more competitive in export markets, especially in the European Union and the UK," said UK Ambassador to the RM Steven Fisher. Since December 2018, the AdTrade project has implemented a series of innovative activities to increase access for left bank businesses to the export promotion mechanisms available on the right bank and provide a sustainable path for them. To date, more than 1,700 representatives of companies and business associations from both banks of the Dniester River have improved their capacity to take advantage of foreign trade agreements and have received assistance in entering new markets. 140 companies benefited from assistance in digitizing or identifying the market and, as a result, concluded 45 contracts and increased exports by 8%. More than 240 jobs were created with support from Sweden and the United Kingdom and an additional 1,411 were saved in the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Business development grants were used by 74 entrepreneurs, including 37 women entrepreneurs. During the conference, other results obtained in the framework of the AdTrade project were presented. For example, 7 agri-food processing enterprises have been equipped with photovoltaic systems and high-performance equipment, and 36 agri-food enterprises have improved their competitiveness and export potential through the use of innovative technologies. At the same time, 7 business associations from both banks of the Dniester River strengthened their capacities and created partnerships. Also under this project, the first social entrepreneurship platform was created on the left bank of the Dniester River, and 100 people were trained in launching social businesses. // 15.12.2022 – InfoMarket
