The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, led the inauguration of the first SME Center of the National Development Agency (ANDE) in Maldonado, located in the infrastructure of the departmental Campus. The device is the 19th of those installed in 16 departments. The president of ANDE, Carmen Sánchez, explained that in one year of operation, 5,300 companies and entrepreneurs in 210 locations were assisted.
The president was also accompanied by the Minister of Social Development, Martin Lema; the directors of ANDE Martín Ambrosi and Federico Perdomo; the president of the State Health Services Administration (ASSE), Leonardo Cipriani, and the mayors of Maldonado, Enrique Antía, and Rocha, Alejo Umpiérrez, among other national and departmental authorities.
On the occasion, Lacalle Pou said that the inaugurations that take place during the day in Maldonado, which includes the implementation of the pilot plan for the prevention and treatment of addictions by ASSE and the departmental government, help those who undertake and are excited and who breaks away and is disappointed.
In addition, he recalled an anecdote of an entrepreneur from Isidoro Noblía, in Cerro Largo, who was formalized in the Melo SME Center and now has three employees. “Society is made up of family histories,” he said.
For his part, Sánchez reported that the SME Centers program encourages the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), as well as entrepreneurs, through fully subsidized professional support.
He added that MSMEs are a priority, because they affect the country’s economic policy, and that the main needs are commercialization, marketing, electronic commerce and financial issues.
“We are helping to change the reality of people and families,” he said.
Annual report of SME Centers
Sánchez reported that after a year of implementation, 3,752 enterprises contacted from 210 locations, 2,044 users received services, 1,575 companies and enterprises deepened work processes and 3,385 people participated in training.
In addition, of the participating firms, 59% are microenterprises, 34% small, and 7% medium. Meanwhile, the sectors are 56% trade, 25% manufacturing industry and 19% services.
The 200,000 small and medium-sized companies in Uruguay represent 67% of the private active workforce and 40% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
