BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 12. Kazakhstan will
launch pilot Business Support and Assistance Centers in five
regions to provide entrepreneurs with comprehensive support through
a “one-stop-shop” mechanism.
This was reflected in the statement published by the official
information resource of the Prime Minister of the Republic of
Kazakhstan.
The concept of creating the centers was presented at a
Government meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
National Economy Serik Zhumangarin. The pilot project will be
implemented on the basis of regional branches of the Damu
Entrepreneurship Development Fund.
According to Damu Chairman of the Board Farkhat Sarsekeyev,
entrepreneurs currently have access to various state support
instruments. However, when businesses face challenges, they often
do not know which authority or organization can address their
issues, as solutions may involve several government agencies and
institutions.
The new centers are intended to create a unified mechanism for
supporting businesses, from identifying a problem to resolving it.
“When creating the centers, more than 2,400 SME requests from the
register of problematic issues of the Atameken National Chamber of
Entrepreneurs were analyzed. More than 600 of them came from the
regions where the pilot project will be launched. Most business
requests concerned access to financing, debt restructuring,
obtaining state support measures, taxation, product sales and
consultations on developing entrepreneurial skills. A significant
share of requests also related to the agricultural sector. These
areas will be the focus of the Business Support and Assistance
Centers. At the same time, the key performance indicator of the
centers will not be the number of consultations provided, but the
share of entrepreneurs’ issues resolved,” Sarsekeyev said.
The centers will operate on a “one-stop-shop” principle,
allowing entrepreneurs to receive consultations on various issues
at Damu Fund branches. Under the pilot project, centers will be
established in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, North Kazakhstan and
Aktobe regions. The pilot phase will run from September to
December, after which the effectiveness of the mechanism will be
assessed and a decision will be made on expanding the project to
other regions of Kazakhstan.
Following the presentation, a working group was established with
representatives of relevant government and law enforcement bodies,
financial regulators and the Damu Fund to develop mechanisms for
launching and operating the centers.
