On May 30, 2019, the Local Economic Business Forum “Interaction of business, government and local communities – a key to economic and social growth of the community” was held in Sursko-Litovsk UTC. All enterprises and entrepreneurs registered in the community, as well as investors, farmers, starters and people who are not indifferent to the economic development of the Sursko-Litovsk community were invited. Unfortunately, there was an active minority of invited entrepreneurs, which further emphasized the problems of low business activity and the uncoordinated interaction of business and government in the community.
The aim of the forum was:
Alim Molodan, deputy director of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Investment Agency (DIA), highlighted the issue of community steps towards identifying their own smart specialization and creating investment attractive territories.
“Communities’ efforts, first of all, must be made on the analysis of its own economy structure, business initiatives and territorial resources. This can be: products that the community produces and consumes, services that residents had to apply from outside, investment projects of local entrepreneurs. Human resources, logistics (roads, railways), engineering infrastructure (electricity, gas and water supply), land, buildings and exclusive facilities such as recreation require separate analysis. Based on this work, the community can determine the priorities and places for implementing investment policy, offer prospective investors, in particular local, transparent working conditions, and add their proposals to region’s investment passport, investment interactive map of investment portal. In conditions of growing communities competitiveness for prospective investor, analyzing and forming on its basis the community development strategy is extremely urgent “, – said Alim Molodan.
Igor Mamonov, regional development advisor for Regional Development LGDC, established with the assistance of the U-LEAD with Europe Program and the Ministry of Regional Development attended the Forum with a report about business, government and local community interaction; Sergey Kucheriavenko vice president of the Dnipropetrovsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who spoke on the conditions for the development of SMEs of the region’s UTC; Volodymyr Ponomarenko, deputy director of the Dnipro Development Agency, spoke on the topic about functioning of industrial parks in the community; V. Belikov, director of “WBB” Ltd., presented a proposal for energy-efficient projects which the community can introduce in its territory.
Project ideas were proposed for consideration of the community at the forum:
However, there were no real proposals from investors on the community problems.
Due to lack of local entrepreneurs, the issues of branding and finding areas of community economic development were not discussed, because without understanding the position and investment policy of budget-forming community companies it is not possible to determine its smart specialization.
This forum has had a positive impact on the development of the Sursko-Litovsk community. Time will show the influence of it. At the same time, it is obvious and urgent that the community should use other measures to increase entrepreneurial activity and establish a partnership in business, government, civil society triangle.
