OAS MSME Newsletter: (March 2023):
Formosa joins the Crédito Argentino program, which is now available to SMEs throughout the country
With the accession of Formosa, there are already 22 provinces to which the government provides financing for the promotion of strategic productive sectors and accompany the change in the productive structure of regional economies.
Launch of Potencia PyMEX to encourage companies to win international markets
PyMEX Power, a package of $12,000 million of investment from the national State to strengthen exporting SMEs and move towards a more complex national productive structure, with greater added value and more technology.
The government launches a program to create new ventures and private companies
The Dinámicos program, a new line that accompanies investment from the National State to the creation, start-up and initial development of enterprises.
Government Committed to Supporting Initiatives For MSMEs
Government is committed to supporting initiatives that will improve access to financing to the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) sector, while contributing to a robust financial system.
Minister of State in Foreign Trade and Business stressed this commitment at the launch of the project – Promoting Access to Equity Financing to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises through the Innovation and Growth Market of the Barbados Stock Exchange.
56% of the country’s micro and small enterprises and artisan sector is led by women
56% of the country’s micro and small enterprises and artisan sector is led by women, who start and create their own business or productive initiative to boost their economy and generate employment.More than 30 entrepreneurs participate in a productive fair for International Women’s Day in La Paz
Entrepreneurship rescues women victims of domestic violence
Supporting financial independence through their own business was the path found by many interviewed to get out of abusive relationships, shows research.
Sebrae promotes business opportunities, professional meetings, trainings and success cases.
Small businesses expand digital presence to win customers.
A survey carried out by Sebrae points out that WhatsApp is used by 74% of companies and 94% of MSEs that are on a social network already have an Instagram profile.
Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, announced the recipients of funding under the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES). This nearly $7 billion initiative is helping remove systemic barriers women face in accessing the financing, resources and networks they need to start up, scale up and reach international markets.
Sercotec increases its support for women entrepreneurs
During the last year, female participation in the various initiatives available through SERCOTEC increased, reaching 61% of beneficiaries among all users. The service has proposed to promote a renewed gender agenda, focused on the gender perspective in its programs and the visibility of businesswomen.
Sercotec will support SMEs to export through international marketplaces
There are about thirty SMEs from different regions and sectors, selected in the Global SMEs program, which will receive advice and support to position their products on platforms such as Amazon, eBay or Walmart. In addition, the Virtual Markets program will benefit 56 SMEs and cooperatives to sell in national marketplaces.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through Colombia Productiva, and with resources from the European Union, opened the ‘Green Productivity’ call for companies from all regions to improve productivity and sustainability issues, develop bioproducts and take measures to adaptation and mitigation to climate change.
Mincomercio, Bavaria and Fenalco launch initiative to promote micro-businesses for 3,000 women victims of the conflict
With “Mujeres Más Productivas”, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through Colombia Productiva, Bavaria and Fenalco, will support 3,000 shopkeepers to access financial training, customer service and the use of digital tools.
This initiative, which is launched on International Women’s Day, will contribute to the empowerment of these women from the popular economy, as leaders in their communities, and will allow them to increase their productivity and income.The call for the Colombian Award for Business Innovation for MSMEs, Innova, is extended
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through iNNpulsa Colombia, called on the country’s micro, small and medium-sized companies, MSMEs, to apply for their innovations for the 2022 version of the Innova Award, which will be delivered in 2023.
Law 45-20 on Movable Guarantees is an important tool that will allow entrepreneurs to have access to credit, guaranteeing a greater impact on the national productive fabric.
More than 800 industrial MSMEs register improvements in sales and in the use of digital tools
In total, 836 micro, small and medium-sized companies reported improvements in sales, in the use of digital tools and in the management of internal processes, after participating in the third call for the Digital Productive Chain Program (PEPD), developed by the Government in conjunction with the private sector.
MICM and ADOPEM-ASFL open the first MSME finance center; initiative relaunched in DR
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) and the Dominican Association for the Development of Women ADOPEM ASFL, inaugurated the Adopem MSMEs Center, which will offer financial and business development services to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Diploma aimed at enterprises seeking to expand in markets internationally. The aim is to train MSMEs in the different export processes, as well as to prepare them to offer their products, to open new markets internationally and to commercialize them.Textile Training and Production Center inaugurated
The objective of this new space available to MSMEs is to provide entrepreneurs with facilities, machinery, equipment, and technical advice in the development of their products; so that they are made in an industrial way, managing to increase their productive capacity and achieve better delivery times for their clients.
$1.1 Billion for Project to Boost Growth of MSMEs and Start-Ups
Just over $1.1 billion has been allocated to continue the implementation of the Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (BIGEE) project. The project aims to promote the sustainable and robust growth among startups and MSMEs in Jamaica.
The Ministry of Economy, Google and Pro Mujer launch the program “Women, strength of the southeast”
With the purpose of providing economic well-being to the women of the Mexican southeast, the Ministry of Economy, Google and Pro Mujer launched the project Mujeres, strength of the southeast, which will grant microcredits and training in entrepreneurship issues to more than eight thousand women from the states of Chiapas, Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco and Oaxaca.
AMPYME signs agreement with PROCEM to train teachers and students
The Authority for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (AMPYME) signed an Educational Cooperation Agreement with the Fundación Pro-Cultura Empresarial Internacional de Panamá (PROCEM). Through this agreement, the aim is to establish actions to train teachers and twelfth grade students from public and private schools throughout the country in entrepreneurship and development of business projects.
AMPYME launches Expo Café MIPYME 2023
On March 31, the first version of Expo Café MIPYME 2023 will be held, an activity that will bring together in one place all the actors that are part of the coffee production and marketing chain in the small business area. The activity organized by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Authority (AMPYME) is an initiative that seeks to encourage exchange between small businessmen, producers, banks, marketers, State institutions, in order to encourage the movement of the national economy.
AMPYME, CNC and the IDB launch the updated version of Digital Checkup. This tool, developed by the IDB and the Fundación País Digital, allows companies to assess their level of digital maturity and identify areas for improvement in terms of technologies and digital skills, communications and sales channels, organization and people, strategy and digital transformation, data and analytics and processes. Digital Checkup can be completed by companies through chequeodigital.ampyme.gob.pa and thus obtain a personalized diagnosis.
Panamanian businesswomen seek to do business with large international chains
The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) reported that more than 15 businesswomen, beneficiaries of the Mujer Exporta Panamá project, participated in a business conference that was attended by potential buyers from countries such as Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Sweden.
As a tool that will help identify potential sectors for export and that will benefit the business ecosystem of MSMEs in Paraguay, the results of the Mapping of Potential Productive Niches of Paraguay were presented at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC).
MSMEs in the food industry, benefiting from MIC programs, aim to expand their production
Two national micro, small and medium-sized enterprises inaugurated the improvements acquired as a result of their applications to different programs faced by the Vice Ministry of MSMEs of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC). The beneficiaries aim at development, growth and access to markets with their products.
MiPYME COMPITE starts online training for the benefit of competitive improvement in Paraguay
Resuming online training activities, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC), through the MiPYME COMPITE program – Institutional Strengthening Component, in collaboration with the T-FAST project, organized a webinar.
Women represent 42.9% of all entrepreneurs
Within the framework of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated every March 8, the Ministry of Production (Produce) reported that in Peru there are a total of 1,353,719 micro and small enterprises that are led by women..Produce receives a S/ 23.8 million transfer to strengthen business and productive capacities in MSMEs
Continuing with the Government’s objective of providing tools that contribute to the economic growth of the country, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) authorized the transfer of S/ 23 million 888 390 to the Ministry of Production (Produce) to strengthen capacities entrepreneurial and productive in the SME.Produce will promote the formalization of more than 30 thousand SMEs in 2023
Within the framework of the 2023 Formalization Campaign, the Ministry of Production, through the National Program “Your Company”, will promote the constitution of more than 30,000 micro and small enterprises (SMEs) during 2023, accompanying and providing advice to entrepreneurs and businessmen to formalize their businesses.
First call for applications MSME Loan-Grant
The Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs issues its first call for applications for the Micro Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) Loan-Grant Facility. The MSME Loan-Grant is an EC$10 million-dollar facility aimed at providing post COVID-19 pandemic relief to registered MSMEs. It is a combination of 70% grant and 30% loan funding at an attractive interest rate of 3% with minimum collateral requirements.
Registration Open for National Small Business Week Virtual Summit Taking Place in May
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses and a resource partner of the SBA, announced that registration for the 2023 National Small Business Week Virtual Summit is now open. The two-day online event will take place from May 2-3, 2023. Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required. To register, visit National Small Business Week Virtual Summit registration. This year’s NSBW Virtual Summit will feature educational workshops presented by event cosponsors, access to federal resources, and networking.
SBA Research Sheds New Light on Small Business Exporters
the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released new findings from a commissioned study on the Total Addressable Market (TAM) of small business exporters in America. Among the key findings from the study is new data, based on recent business surveys, that places the number of exporting small businesses at 1.3 million – an almost fivefold increase over the estimates previously published by the federal government. Furthermore, the research places the potential market size, or total addressable market, at over 2.6 million small businesses, representing 42 percent of all small employer businesses.
MIEM delivered $2,900,000 non-reimbursable to 13 women entrepreneurs
The funds correspond to the Call for Women Entrepreneurs 8M_ 2022. In total, 53 projects from 13 departments of the country applied; 11 of them finally turned out to be winners.
MIEM-Dinatel and INEFOP open applications for the course on Electronic Commerce and Digital Economy for micro and small enterprises, 2023 edition. Courses start on April 10. The course is free of charge and has limited seats.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI)
For the benefit of more than 60 Panamanian micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and as part of the expansion of the credit line for US$75 million to Global Bank Corporation, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) made two disbursements totaling the US$12.98 million.Caribbean Development Bank
MSME Clean Tech Businesses Provide Solutions to Climate Challenges
The Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC) is extremely confident that Caribbean people can produce highly competitive, world-class enterprises that have built into them climate resilience and adaptation objectives.
Maximising MSME Growth the Focus This Year
For the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Unit, the past few years were focused on urgent interventions to ensure regional MSMEs managed to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic. However, 2023 is about supporting the significant rebound in the MSME space occurring across various sectors.
MSME Unit Helps to Turn Young Job Seekers into Job Creators
Encouraging young people across the Caribbean to actualise their dreams of business ownership is a priority shared by the Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT) and its sister bodies in five neighbouring islands as well as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS)
OAS Advances Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Caribbean
The Organization of American States (OAS), through its Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), pursues the empowerment of women to actively participate in and benefit from the digital economy through the Economically Empowered Women for Equitable and Resilient Societies” (Women’s Economic Empowerment–WEE) project in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
In addition to the six Organization of Eastern Caribbean States countries, the WEE Project is also being implemented in the three countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) and aims to build sustainable livelihoods of small-scale women entrepreneurs as well as increase their capacity to digitize, build an online presence, and access financial services and international markets through e-commerce.
WORLD TRADE CENTER