Component 3 of SwissTrade programme launched

Werner Gruber, Head of the Development Cooperation Agency at the Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam, speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Innovation and Competitiveness Grant Facility (ICG Facility) of the SwissTrade programme will provide 10 – 15 selected small grant projects with funding of up to 150,000 USD each during a period of 12 – 24 months, heard a conference held in Hanoi on July 25.

The Swiss Trade Policy and Export Promotion (SwissTrade) Programme is a technical assistance programme sponsored by the Government of Switzerland and represented by the Swiss Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) from 2021 to 2024, Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), told the launch workshop.

The programme aims to improve trade performance and international competitiveness of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through enhanced framework conditions for trade, public-private dialogue mechanisms, and a strengthened eco-system for dynamic export promotions to help Vietnam achieve sustainable economic growth and reduce the poverty rate, according to Phu.

Vietrade has been tasked by the MoIT to implement the project’s Component 3, which intends to strengthen export-related services and develop the export promotion ecosystem by providing funding for small grant projects of Dynamic Business Support Organisations (BSOs) in both public and private sectors for the implementation of initiatives to support enterprises and help them access global value chains.

Nguyen Thuy Hien, Deputy Director of the MoIT’s Department of Planning and director of the programme management board, highlighted the significance of the project to the Vietnamese Government and the MoIT, saying it will enable the country to boost its export performance and enhance the international competitiveness of Vietnamese SMEs.

Exportation is a key driver of economic growth in Vietnam that creates many jobs, she said, adding that the private sector, particularly SMEs, plays an increasingly crucial role./.