The Moldovan government, the European Union and the World Bank announced grants worth 41 million lei to 72 local companies
The money will be allocated to them through the Organization for Entrepreneurship Development (ODA) under the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization. At the same time, the total investment in the national economy will exceed 89 million lei. In particular, 19 companies will receive 9.6 million lei from the European Union, the Economic Development and Digitalization Ministry and the ODA said. The Moldovan government will provide financial assistance worth 31.8 million lei to another 51 companies, while the World Bank will provide 2 more companies with financing of 1 million lei. During the event to announce the beneficiaries, Economic Development and Digitalization Minister Dumitru Alaiba congratulated the 72 grant recipients, noting that business development is primarily a merit of the entrepreneur's hard work and the authorities are promoting reforms that will help them achieve great results. “Debureaucratization, digitalization, income tax reform, and the government's 373 program have facilitated the business environment in our country, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to focus on progress and development. Supporting business environment reforms remains high on the government's agenda. Entrepreneurs are champions of digitalization and European integration. Hard work and dedication are essential for business and economic development. We stand by you and pledge to continue to support you in building a better and more prosperous future for all,” said Dumitru Alaiba. The grants are distributed through a number of programs administered by ODA, including the Women's Entrepreneurship Support Program, SME Re-technology and Energy Efficiency Program, PARE 1+2 Program, SME Digital Transformation Program, SME Greening Program, SME Growth and Internationalization Program, and Small Producer Support Program. The largest investments are in the industrial sector - approximately 50% of beneficiaries work in this sector. Another 30% of entrepreneurs will invest in the acquisition of technical means for the development of the service sector: professional, scientific, technical activities, accommodation, food and education. About 20% of the beneficiaries work in the agricultural sector, where they will invest in the re-technology and greening of their business. During this year, the Entrepreneurship Development Organization assisted 595 companies in receiving grants worth more than 250 million lei. Of this amount, almost 179 million lei comes from the state budget, while 54 million lei was provided by the European Union under the project “EU for Small and Medium Enterprises”. The total volume of investments in the economy amounted to 532.4 million lei. Also, the World Bank allocated almost 8 million lei to 20 companies within the SME Growth and Internationalization Program. At the same time, within the Digital Innovations and Technology Startups Support Program, 20 companies received grants worth 8.5 million lei with financial support from the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund in partnership with the Future Technologies Activity, financed by USAID, Sweden and the United Kingdom. // 23.12.2024 - InfoMarket.
