On 24 November 2022, ICT for Kosovo’s Growth organized a Regional B2B meeting in Vushtrri, where ICT businesses met with local companies from the Agro, Manufacturing, and Processing sectors. The event focused on exploring cooperation opportunities in digitalization, innovation, and enhancing business practices to increase export opportunities.
The event attracted over 25 business participants from both the ICT Digital sector and traditional businesses.
The meeting began with a welcoming speech from Mayor of Vushtrri, Mr. Ferit Idrizi, who expressed his enthusiasm for hosting the event. He highlighted the potential for cooperation on digitalization, innovation, and business development. The Mayor also emphasized the municipality’s support for young people and women:
Mr. Ergin Sunguri, Director of the Department for Economic Development, welcomed attendees and presented policies aimed at supporting business sector development. He mentioned that grants will be distributed for start-ups in Vushtrri Municipality.
Mr. Grigoris Kontzoglou, the Project’s Team Leader, introduced the project, its objectives, and its achievements to date. He emphasized the significance of local cross-sectorial B2B events, which bring together the ICT and traditional businesses. He also spoke about the importance of export promotion and increasing competitiveness through international B2B matchmaking events organized by the project.
The event continued with a presentation by Mr. Ahmet Jetullahu, Director of Prishtina REA, who discussed EU and other funding opportunities related to Innovation and ICT. He covered programs such as Erasmus, Horizon, Single Market Program, and the Digital Program.
After the presentations, business-to-business meetings took place between ICT businesses and local businesses from the manufacturing, processing, and gastronomy sectors. These meetings focused on exploring potential cooperation in digitalization and export development.
In total, 50 participants attended the event, including representatives from 6 ICT companies, STIKK, 26 local traditional companies (including agro, manufacturing, processing, women-owned businesses, and gastronomy), and trainees. Representatives from the Municipality of Vushtrri and the project team were also present.
All attendees concluded that there is a pressing need for technology integration in production and management systems. Participants had the opportunity to meet, discuss key topics, and explore potential partner agreements.
ICT companies presented their products and services, providing local companies with valuable information about the digitalization and internationalization opportunities available. Each ICT company had a 5-minute presentation to inform non-ICT businesses about their offerings
The event saw participation from 26 non-ICT companies spanning various sectors. Many of them engaged with the ICT companies, exchanging contact information, brochures, and discussing potential future collaborations.
The event successfully created contacts and linkages for future business opportunities, fostering mutual interests and potential cooperation. Participants agreed on the importance of digital transformation and recognized the potential benefits of continued collaboration between the ICT and traditional sectors.