The Penza forum of the nation-wide programme ‘Territory of business - territory of life’ and ‘Business-Success’ competition, organized by the NGO for SME support ‘OPORA’ and the Agency of Strategic Initiatives, started on November 8th, 2018.
The forum included seminars, trainings, discussions, master-classes, round-tables and the award ceremony for the winners of the competition of business projects. The forums organizers traditionally invite the best business coaches and lecturers for the event which attracts participants from various regions. Governor of the Penza region, addressing the audience at the plenary session, thanked the participants and promised that the suggestions on developing the opportunities for business in the Penza region will be considered within the framwork of implementing the national project for supporting small and medium sized enterprises.
The governor also reminded that growth of SMEs is one of the country’s current priorities, as stressed by the RF president and the national government.
‘We have to aim at increasing the share of SMEs in GDP so that it exceeds 30% and then reached 40%. Currently these figures are around 20% in Russia. In the Penza region the share of SME equals 31%,’ said the governor.
‘There are about 47,000 SMEs in the Penza region. The business density rate in the Penza region is higher than the average in the Volga Federal district, the number of business per 1,000 people is 35 as compared with the average of 33 in the neighbouring regions,’ he said.
The turnover of micro-business has also grown substantially. It has grown by 30%, reaching 72 billion roubles. Small businesses turnover reached 58 billion roubles, and with the medium sized enterprizes it reached 19 billion roubles.
This remarkable progress, according to the governor of the Penza region, was made possible thanks to the well-thought-out strategy for promoting businesses, providing the facilities and the infrastructre and the clever economic and taxation policy.
SME support is one of the 12 target models developed by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives aimed at simplifying the formal procedures for businesses and improving the investment climate in Russia’s regions. The Penza region was ranked high in implementing the target models, reaching the 94% level.
‘I think we have to unite all the systems and organizations working for business support and develop a new complex approach,’ said the governor.
‘We are planning to spend 72 billioin roubles in 2019 on business support programmes within the framework of the national project,’ he added.
Governor of the Penza region and head of NGO for SME support ‘OPORA’ Azat Gazizov awarded the prizes and presented the symbolic statues ‘Golden Jack’ (chosen as a symbol of economic revival and growth). The business people were awarded in ten categories: ‘Best local practice of supporting businesses and improving the investment climate’, ‘Best procurement system’, ‘Best youth project’, ‘Best export project’, ‘Best agricultural project’, ‘Best creative project’, ‘Best manufacturing project’, ‘Digital economy’, ‘Best health project’, ‘People’s entrepreneur’.
