DUSHANBE, June 21, 2013, Asia-Plus — The First National Conference of Consultants in Tajikistan is taking place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Dushanbe today.
According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Dushanbe Office, the event, organized by EBRD Small Business Support, includes exhibitions by consulting firms, presentations and master classes from leading local and international consultants on management, and a roundtable entitled “The Role of Consulting in Private Sector Development: Joining Efforts,” which focused on problems and obstacles faced by the consulting sector in Tajikistan. The event will conclude with a reception celebrating International Consultants’ Day.
More than 300 individuals representing consulting firms, the SME sector, state agencies and international organizations are participating in the conference, which serves as an opportunity to bring together these representatives with local consultants to discuss the role of consulting in Tajikistan.
The conference also aims to increase the demand for consulting services and establish a platform for the discussion of issues faced by the consulting market, as well as to give professional consultants the opportunity to share their recent work.
Small Business Support (SBS) connects small and medium-sized enterprises with the expertise that can transform their businesses. Working with local consultants and international experts, Small Business Support gives businesses the tools, skills and know-how to innovate, attract finance and future expertise and become the next generation of business leaders. With expertise in management, marketing, quality standards, engineering and beyond, SBS projects help businesses become fitter, healthier, more prosperous and more resilient.
Business Advisory Services (BAS) is the wing of Small Business Support that helps small and medium sized businesses hold successful consultancy projects with local consultants. BAS has been working in Tajikistan since April 2007. Over the last six years BAS has achieved remarkable results: over 400 projects and more than 120 trainings, workshops and seminars have been undertaken in Tajikistan, working to improve the quality and the availability of business advisory services in the country. Although
considerable progress has been made over the past six years, with several new consulting companies established, the consulting market in Tajikistan is still poor and not all SME business owners fully understand the role consulting plays in business development.
More than 3,500 entrepreneurs have already had the opportunity to visit BAS events and get information about consulting services. Small Business Support has been working in Tajikistan since 1999 with funding from the Early Transition Countries Fund (ETCF), EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (ESSF), the USA, Japan, and Luxembourg.
The Small Business Support team is funded by 30 donor countries, multilateral organizations such as the EU, and the private sector. It has received more than €200 million in funding since its establishment in 1993 to assist more than 12,000 small and medium-sized businesses in over 30 countries.
