17.03.2020, Skopje – The Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia held the final event for the promotion of the post Covid19 transformative program, the implementation of which started at the end of last year.

The program was created in response to the pandemic and the additional needs that were created, in order to create appropriate services that will support micro and small companies, in order for companies to overcome the negative impacts with the onset of the economic crisis.  To act quickly on these challenges, the Chamber has developed the Post Covid-19 transformative program, which targets companies and their employees, primarily to help them maintain their market position and create additional jobs. With the new services offered, companies have found new ways to generate profits and expand business opportunities through the chambers network that numbers over 2,000 member companies from various sectors.

So far, 15 local micro and small companies have been supported with this program, while their selection has been made based on the principle “first-come, first-served”.

The companies also became members of the Chamber, they were offered mentoring and preparation of individual business plans as well as training in the field of digital marketing, sales, and negotiation. With

the creation of this program, the Chamber proves that it is always in step with the various external factors that affect the country’s economy and at the same time shows creativity and willingness to transform the services provided to members, which will improve the conditions for doing business in the country and after the pandemic period. – said Drilon Iseni, Executive Director of the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia.

In his speech to the participants, USAID Country Representative in North Macedonia Erik Janovski spoke about the benefits of investing in enterprise capacity and stressed the importance of the sustainability of the services provided by the Chambers.

“We encourage you to continue to use these valuable services provided by the Chamber and to pay for them. As business people I do not have to tell you how much it’s worth investing in yourself and your companies. And if you and your businesses are seeing the benefits of the Chamber’s programs, share your experience with other companies to get them involved as well. Help the Economic Chamber become sustainable so that they too can continue to train you for the skills you want to acquire.

“We with the US Government support your efforts by jointly investing in such initiatives: those that strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit, foster innovation and foster economic growth by improving competitiveness,” said Erik Janowski.

ECNWM organized the event with the support of the USAID Business Ecosystem Project, as part of an overall activity to strengthen the capacity of business organizations and improve the services they provide to companies in the country. In addition to the benefits of the program, the event also introduced all the new achievements and services that the chamber has developed in the past and which are currently available to all interested companies.