Press Release: Workshop with Fondi Besa staff and Program Management Unit (PMU) on “Italo-Albanian Program for SME Development in Albania (PRODAPS)

Workshop with Fondi Besa staff and the Program Management Unit (PMU) on “Italo-Albanian SME Development Program in Albania (PRODAPS) – for the implementation of the credit line and the loan guarantee scheme in support of SMEs in Albania

On 22 February 2018, under the “Italo-Albanian Program for SME Development in Albania (PRODAPS), the Program Management Unit (PMU) held a training workshop with staff of Besa Fund in Tirana and representatives of district branches, on “Increasing Access to Finance for SMEs – Financial and Non-Financial Instruments of PRODAPS and IASME, in Support of Albanian SMEs”.

The purpose of this activity was to train and inform staff of Fondi Besa on the possibility of providing soft loans to SMEs and the terms of this credit line.

The Director of the SME Development Program Management Unit, Mr. Kino Buxheli emphasized the importance of this cooperation in providing a clear platform for recognizing ways of achieving financial results. He said: “PRODAPS & IASME with its availability is accessible to any of the Albanian SMEs”. Mr. Buxheli underlined the need for local SMEs to be oriented towards business capitalization, using advanced technology, and increasing knowledge and contacts with the financial system by developing sounder and more stable ties, both with commercial banks and with other non-bank financial institutions such as Besa Fund.

The credit line and program guarantee fund provide for conditions with major financial advantages, interest rates up to 3% for loans in Euros and guarantee fund coverage up to 60% of the required loan, for investment projects carried out by special categories of SMEs (in the manufacturing and processing sector, agro-processing, exporting, located in the most backward areas of the country, or those that have a positive impact in terms of creating employment opportunities, reducing pollution or producing energy from renewable sources.

Director of Marketing, Development and Training Department in Fondi Besa, Prof. Assoc. Dr. Altin Muça underlined that Fondi Besa is committed to providing proper and quality credit products for the target market and within this cooperation we will aim to support the small and medium business in all areas where Fondi Besa intervenes.

This meeting served as a discussion platform during which experts from the SME Development Program Unit presented and discussed on the technical side of the program and addressed issues related to the opportunities, conditions and ways SMEs should follow to take advantage of the financial opportunities offered in favor of their development.

The training was attended by 25 participants, employees of Fondi Besa in different profiles such as Heads of Departments, Branch Managers, Risk Specialists, Credit Analysts, etc.

During the training group work was organized, where participants, applied all the knowledge gained through credit examples for various activities that could be included in the program.

Capacity building training and qualification of Fondi Besa staff will continue to develop in the coming months.