SBDC Itapúa will contribute to the country’s economic growth
As part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week - GEW2023, the second SBDC (Small Business Development Centers) headquarters was inaugurated, located in the city of Encarnación- Itapúa, specifically, in the facilities of the Autonomous University of Encarnación. These centers are driven by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) through the Vice Ministry of MSMEs, and are financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Technical Mission of Taiwan (Taiwan ICDF).
During the opening of the event, Mariela Medina, representative of USAID, said that the government of the United States recognizes the effort and leadership of the MIC to strengthen MSMEs, and generate jobs and formal economic opportunities for all Paraguayans.
She assured that, “the network will contribute to the strengthening of Paraguay’s economy by closely collaborating with MSMEs, which are one of the fundamental pillars of the country’s growth”.
In turn, the Rector of the UNAE, Nadia Czeraniuk thanked the trust placed in the institution by the MIC, through the designation as an SBDC center and assured that the UNAE team will work to support the development of entrepreneurship in the seventh Department.
Formalization does not end with the RUC
The Vice Minister Gustavo Giménez, during his inaugural speech, assured that a new chapter begins in the history of MSMEs in Itapúa. He urged entrepreneurs to approach the SBDC and remembered that the process of formality of a company does not end with the RUC, but there are other records in various institutions that must be made to speak of a 100% formal firm.
He also highlighted the importance of micro, small and medium enterprises for the national economy and remembered that 8 out of every 10 people who work in our country do so in an MSME, becoming an engine of employment development for Paraguay.
“The MIC is firmly convinced that the way forward is the generation of new jobs through high-value technical assistance, which is what we want to do here in Itapúa with the opening of this new center,” he pointed out.
It should be noted that the event also had the presence of the minister counselor of the Republic of China Taiwan, Tomás Guo, governmental and academic authorities.
Successful model in 24 countries
The SBDC model is a proven methodology to grow the national MSME sector in a measurable, efficient, sustainable and large-scale way. The centers are based on a successful American methodology executed with the technical assistance of the University of Texas in San Antonio United States of America (UTSA).
There are currently 278 SBDC Centers installed in 24 countries around the world, generating from their operation, economic impact through more than 6,000 companies created, 23,000 jobs created, increase in sales and formalization of the companies assisted by the SBDC Center.
In Paraguay, phase 3 of this project is being executed, whose main objective is the implementation of the pilot program that includes the inauguration of the first 3, in Central, Alto Paraná and Itapúa in 2023, and extend the network in the following year.