Business

AngatLahat! PLDT, Go Negosyo, DTI launch program for MSME growth

Philstar.com

August 10, 2016 | 12:17pm

MANILA, Philippines – The spirit of entrepreneurship continues to consume the local landscape as more technologies and business solutions are being made available to even the smallest of businesses in the country.

With the increasing impact of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on the nation’s gross domestic product, it is no surprise that Filipino entrepreneurship is being elevated and prioritized in the new government administration’s economic agenda.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government needs to put back the focus on MSMEs, which serve as “great contributors” to the country’s economic growth.

“Entrepreneurs are key players in our vision of nation building, and we want to be able to give them that helping hand by supplying them with the right resources and mentors and witness the growth of their business,” Lopez said.

In an effort to promote the goal of sustainable inclusive growth across enterprises of all sizes, Go Negosyo, in collaboration with DTI, launched the KAPATID Program, an initiative that encourages large corporations to help MSMEs through introducing Inclusive Business models, a commercially viable business solution that benefits low-income communities by including them in a company’s value chain.

Go Negosyo founding trustee Joey Concepcion said his organization started with a dream of “wanting to help Filipinos uplift their lives.”

“The KAPATID Program gives business owners the opportunity to gain confidence in their business and actively take part in an economy that is constantly developing. As big businesses grow, small businesses grow along with them,” Concepcion said.

Under the program is the flagship capacity-building project – Make it BIG Mentor Me sessions – that bring together established and aspiring industry leaders in a series of sessions that tackle different aspects of business in order to equip MSMEs with the necessary capabilities, eventually giving them the skills to effectively sustain their enterprise on their own.

“Going into business could possibly be the most significant avenue to finally eliminate poverty in our country,” PLDT Group Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said. “We fully support the initiatives of our long-time partners Go Negosyo and DTI as we continue to open business opportunities and inspire more Filipinos to grow together as one nation.”

Go Negosyo and DTI continue efforts to provide free and accessible learning seminars and programs around the country for budding entrepreneurs, together with PLDT SME Nation, the MSME arm of the country’s leading telecommunication corporation. By working to equip business owners with the right tools and skills to make it big in business, PLDT SME Nation and its valued partners lead the way for inclusive growth for all Filipinos.

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