Skopje, 5 July 2023 (MIA) – By improving measures to mitigate the negative effect of crises, improving organizational support and women's economic empowerment, businesses will achieve competitiveness and inclusivity, concluded participants in Wednesday's conference held as part of USAID's Business Ecosystem Project.

Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi also attended the event and expressed satisfaction with such projects, noting that they largely contribute to sustainable economic development.

"Today we have the opportunity to attend the event implemented together with USAID for strengthening capacities in the area of the ecosystem and support to all our associations with the goal to meet the professional needs, in the best way possible, of our micro, small and medium businesses.  The Ministry of Economy fully support such projects given that we design measures in order to have sustainable economic growth, and meet the needs of micro and small businesses that contribute to the economic growth and create the most jobs in our country," said Bekteshi.

Minister Bekteshi expressed gratitude for the support that project-partners give, noting that the Ministry is currently working on strengthening cooperation with the partners, and that will remain the focus in the future.

He pointed out that it is necessary to continue to create opportunities and work on supporting women who want to start their own businesses, as well as development for women who already own a business.

Jeri Dible, USAID Country Representative for the Republic of North Macedonia, highlighted focus on women's economic success, noting that there is a clear gender divide among employees in leading economic sectors. Dible said the ultimate goal is to bring more women into North Macedonia's economy, through different mechanisms, including open calls for piloting and replicating best practices to promote women's economic empowerment. 

Strategic Development Consulting director, Kristina Hadzi-Vasileva, expressed hope that the economic crisis will be successfully managed, adding that she expects it will transform into an economy with a better potential.

"We are working on activities for support and development of businesses, which also includes this project. We try to offer support for the development of important policies which we believe will help businesses to overcome all challenges, because at times of uncertainty and crises, they can become vulnerable, which is why we believe that support and partnerships are very important in the process when they can survive and be sustainable," Hadzi-Vasileva said.

The project is implemented by the Strategic Development Consulting company, with financial support from USAID. ssh/nn/