Italy will provide technical support for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the southern province of Dong Nai in order to help them improve their competitiveness, said an Italian official.

Italy, with strengths in furniture, footwear, garment, farm produce processing and mechanics, is willing to transfer technology to Vietnamese businesses, stated Ricardo Mattei, Director of the Development Cooperation Agency under the Italian Embassy in Vietnam during his November 20 working session with Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

The country has implemented a project to increase Vietnamese SMEs’ competitiveness through the establishment of a free business training centre, he added.

Italy will provide Vietnam with 15 million EUR in soft loans and 200,000 EUR via the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to carry out technical support projects in Dong Nai and Binh Duong provinces and Ho Chi Minh City .

At the working session, the province’s Vice Chairman said Italy’s projects are suitable for local SMEs’ development demand, stressing that Dong Nai wishes to cooperate with Italy in human resources training and technological transfer.-VNA