Tamar Sanikidze attended an international conference
15.04.2016

An international conference "supportive environment for sustainable enterprises” was held at Tbilisi Technological Center. The conference was organized by the business association "Georgian Employers Association” in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO). Mr. Dimitri Kumsishvili – the Vice President and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia opened the meeting. The conference was also attended by the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia – Ms. Tamar Sanikidze and Business-Ombudsman – Mr. Giorgi Gakharia. 

The Vice President and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development – Mr. Dimitri Kumsishvili delivered a speech for the participants. He spoke about the four-point government plan initiated by the Prime Minister, as well as reforms which are conducted towards this direction; including the promotion of business and creating labor market-oriented vocational educational system.

Moreover, the Vice President, spoke about a government supporting entrepreneurship program "Produce in Georgia" and its subcomponents. According to him, the project “Produce in Georgia” allowed local entrepreneurs to take bank loans from 1 to 3 percent. In addition, as noted by the Vice President Kumsishvili, the State became a guarantee in case of bank loaning.

Furthermore, The Vice President also covered the topics regarding the educational system and spoke about the presentation which was published by the Ministry of Education and Science. “We are talking about a partnership between the public and private sector, and the huge investment made in the development of the vocational education” – said Mr. Kumsishvili and wished that these two directions in the four-point government plan will be a subject of a significant improvement in the near future.

Additionally, the conference addressed the research conducted by the International Labour Organization, which aimed at exposing the major factors preventing local business development. The research covered up to 300 - small, medium and large companies. The results revealed the three following factors: the country’s regulatory frame and fair competition; the access to the financial resources, and relevance towards the education system, as well as the labor market. The conference was attended by more than 100 business companies, ten industrial unions, as well as the representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations operating in the country.