After the successful completion of the "Covid-19 Business Information Hub" project, support for companies in BiH continues
On March 16, 2023, in the premises of the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, in the presence of a large number of dignitaries, representatives of state, federal, cantonal institutions, domestic and international organizations, representatives of business entities, the media and other dignitaries, the ceremonial final conference of the "Covid-19 Business Information Hub - Help Desk" project was held.
The European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany jointly supported this project within the wider Covid-19 Investment Response/EU4BusinessRecovery project, which provides support to Bosnia and Herzegovina in mitigating the economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even after the successful completion of the project, the FBiH Chamber of Commerce will continue to provide support to businesses in BiH through an improved information platform.
The goal of the final conference, in addition to presenting the results of the project, was to present the urgent challenges and needs of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, in order to timely define synergistic support measures and the next steps for all key actors in empowering and strengthening the competences of business entities.
A special overview of the implemented activities and the project itself was presented from the point of view of users - representatives of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from the metal and wood sector. New challenges and needs faced by business entities were highlighted, with a special focus on the green, circular economy and digitization.
During the panel discussion, the participants of the automotive industry fair IZB2022, which was organised as one of the activities of the project, presented the potential of the automotive industry from the point of view of manufacturers, designers and users, considering that the automotive industry is increasingly more oriented towards electrification and smart and sustainable development.
The focus of the project is based on the Help Desk platform - Business Information Hub (www.bizhub.ba), which consists of several modules. More than 30,000 visits to the Business Information Hub web platform in the period from April 2022 to March 2023, and especially visits to the page from all over the world, indicate that the target group of project users recognized the importance of this platform as a unique tool, providing them with all relevant and timely information about the current affairs of the BiH economy, but also at the global level, all in one place.
Within the e-learning module, 13 free trainings were implemented, which were attended by a total of 361 participants (representatives of MSMEs), of which 210 were women, which indicated the need to strengthen the capacity of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with non-financial support measures and in the upcoming period.
The representatives of international organizations, Mrs. Eva Maria Naeher, on behalf of GIZ BiH, and Mrs. Željka Vidović on behalf of UNDP, addressed the participants, and presented new programs of support and empowerment of business entities in the upcoming period.
The motive behind the implementation of the Covid-19 Business Information Hub project is to provide support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises primarily from the metal and wood sector, but also to all other sectors in the recovery process, to enable business continuity, strengthen their competences and increase resilience in challenging times. More information about the project is available at www.bizhub.ba.
“The EU4BusinessRecovery project supports micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue doing business and preserve jobs, and will especially support female entrepreneurs, young people and other vulnerable groups in opening their own businesses and in overcoming the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic by creating a more resilient business environment. The total value of the project is 13.7 million euros, and it is financed jointly by the European Union (13 million euros) and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany (0.7 million euros). EU4BusinessRecovery is jointly implemented by GIZ, ILO and UNDP, from 2021 to 2023. For more information, visit www.eu4business.ba.
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For more information, please contact:
Anela Karahasan, contact phone number: 033 566 333, e-mail: [email protected] or
Armin Hodžić, contact phone number: 033 566 301, e-mail: [email protected]