|
 |
Completed Advisory Projects in Belarus
|
COMPLETED PROJECTS
Business Associations Capacity Building Project
SME Development Project
Small-Scale Privatization Project
Post-Privatization Project
Business Associations Capacity Building Project
2002 - 2004
Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
The project helped seven Belarusian business associations (BAs) to increase their membership base, expand the range and improve the quality of services provided to members. Also the project enabled its partner business associations to build up their image and lobbying potential.
The project was implemented jointly with two partner Swedish business associations: the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden and the Swedish Federation of Private Enterprises. IFC Belarus and Swedish business associations’ consultants conducted regular trainings and seminars for specialists of Belarusian business associations. Also, the project organized study tours for the Belarusian business associations to learn first hand the experience of their Swedish counterparts. At the final stage of the project, IFC Belarus and its Swedish partners jointly selected and trained a group of 15 Belarusian companies for participation in the fair "Elmia Subcontractors 2004" in Sweden. The Belarusian companies’ involvement in the fair could be viewed as a success. They signed two cooperation agreements and four letters of intent. A further 45 business projects are currently being considered by the Swedish and Belarusian partners.
BAs’ membership base expanded by 54%;
BAs’ annual revenues boosted by 40%;
64 new tools and practices adopted by BAs;
26 new services for entrepreneurs introduced by BAs;
Seminars for 6,180 entrepreneurs held;
90 draft amendments to business-related legislation developed;
9,000 hot line consultations rendered;
15 entrepreneurs participated in Elmia Subcontractor Fair in Sweden and two contracts signed;
50 Press club sessions and 15 business breakfasts held; and
860 print media publications, 217 radio and 154 TV reports about SME development facilitated.
SME Development Project
2000 - 2002
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
The IFC Small and Medium Enterprises Development Project sought to improve the overall business environment and simplify the entrepreneurs’ access to training and legal information.
To this end, IFC interacted with business associations to establish and foster a dialog between Belarussian business community and state agencies. In addition, the Project and its partner business associations conducted an informational-educational program for entrepreneurs which reached every fifth businessman within two years. The Project also carried out a wide-ranging campaign to create a favorable image of private entrepreneurship in Belarus. The partner business associations significantly boosted their membership and client base. The interaction between IFC and the Belarusian business associations resulted in the creation of a council of regional business associations which elevated the lobbying potential of its participants to a new qualitative plane. As a result of the Project’s activities, from July 1, 2000 to September 30, 2002, the IFC’s Project’s partner organizations expanded their client base by 110% and their membership by 28%.
In cooperation with partner organizations, SME Development Project conducted:
- 570 legal and economic consultations rendered by IFC experts to business associations and their members;
- 40 amendments to the legislation, including mitigation of the registration procedure, simplification of taxation for individual entrepreneurs, reduction of a flat tax rate for certain groups of individual entrepreneurs and introduction of inspection log books;
- five seminars entitled “The Role of Entrepreneurship in the Development of Regional Economy” for local government officials;
- two roundtable meetings with the participation of business associations, local governments, international organizations, embassies, diplomatic missions and the mass media to provide the forum for the in-depth discussions of present day problems encountered by the business community and steps that should be taken to improve the business environment;
- 11 issues of the analytical bulletin entitled “SME Development in Belarus”, five business brochures, three issues of the Legal Informational Bulletin;
- 15,168 “hot line” consultations on business-related issues ;
- 105 fee-based training courses, 152 fee-based legal informational seminars, 95 radio seminars;
- 114 Business press-club sessions, and
- 1,467 publications in mass-media, 541 radio broadcasts and 363 TV broadcasts, TV advertisement promoting private business.
Small-Scale Privatization Project
1993 - 2000
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
IFC began its work in Belarus providing advisory services to the government in developing and implementing an auction based privatization model in the retail sector. The IFC Belarus Small-Scale Privatization Project has achieved the following:
- helped design, test and replicate a mechanism for auction-based privatization;
- assisted in developing amendments to the Law on Privatization and the State Privatization Program;
- facilitated the privatization of more than 1,100 enterprises in 35 cities and regions;
- generated nearly USD $22 million for local budgets through 558 auctions. These funds were used for social assets and infrastructure development;
- developed and implemented a Dutch auction mechanism;
- proposed and obtained permission to sell bankrupt state-owned small enterprises for the amount of one minimum monthly wage; and
- assisted in drafting the Law on Condominiums and registering 65 homeowners' associations.
Post-Privatization Project
1995 - 1999
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the British Know-How Fund (BKHF)
In 1995, IFC launched the Post-Privatization Project to support newly privatized enterprises at the initial stage of their operation. The IFC Belarus Post-Privatization Project achieved the following:
- established two business centers;
- conducted 98 business-planning courses and seminars, training 2,000 private entrepreneurs and SME managers;
- assisted entrepreneurs-clients of the business centers in obtaining of 6 million USD in financing from local banks and other financial institutions; and
- trained 120 local business consultants.
|
|
