Samana. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the Latin American and Caribbean region to implement the Pilot Program “Adapting your Business”. It is a methodology with tools to accompany microenterprises to adapt your business to be more resilient and flexible in the face of external shocks such as the COVID-19 crisis.
This is an initiative of United Nations Development Program (UNDP)with the support of Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mipymes (MICM) and the Ministry of Tourism. Also, the Las Galeras City Council, the Sustainable Tourism Council of Las Galeras (CONTUGAL) and the UAPA Nagua Mipymes Center.
These tools are being tested in the country with the aim of expanding and standardizing their implementation globally. In addition to the Dominican Republic, only two more countries worldwide were selected to implement this methodology: Barbados and Albania.
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MSMEs in Samaná
In this pilot phase, “Adapting your Business” impacted more than a dozen companies in the community of Las Galeras, a tourist town in the province of Samana, through individual and group consulting sessions for entrepreneurs. As well as training and technical assistance on issues of: innovation, financial changes, production costs for products and services. Also, COVID-19 risk register for the business, market strategies, business models, human development and digital marketing.
In addition, thanks to the Program, entrepreneurs were provided with seed capital to implement improvements in their businesses, linked to business diagnoses carried out and adaptation plans drawn up.
Similarly, through the Mipymes Center UAPA Nagua, many of the businesses are georeferenced, allowing them to be visible on the map for their customers. These feature a logo, product labels, and promotional material designs. And they received specialized training in digital management of their brands.
During the closing event of the initiativeXavier Hernandezdeputy resident representative of the UNDP indicated that, according to a study carried out by UNDP-MICM, 6 out of 10 MSMEs perceived a reduction in their income and experienced difficulties in operating during the pandemic. In this way, warning about the need and importance of transforming the way of doing business.
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“From UNDP, as part of our renewed development cooperation offer, we are committed to innovation at all levels. Through our global and national knowledge network, we accompany countries to integrate this approach into their structures, as a catalyst for development that strengthens the performance of systems as a whole, making them more adaptive and resilient.. Adapting Your Business and its implementation in the Dominican Republic is an example of this,” he added.
Program Objective
With this methodology, companies were prepared to achieve their survival, permanence and even growth within adverse conditions. And most importantly, entrepreneurs were provided with innovative tools that will allow them to continue advancing and have response mechanisms to a future crisis. The lessons learned from this first phase of implementation will serve to continue expanding this model in a way that allows it to benefit more entrepreneurs in the country.
The participants managed to make structural changes that allowed them to convert their business model ventures who support their families. And they generate more inclusive and resilient value chains throughout the community. In addition to promoting productive linkages with other businessmen and women in the area.
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The main objective of the program is to promote the generation of resilient capacities in people and their companies in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. At the same time, collaborate with the private sector to safeguard its continuity and viability in order to preserve and promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
