Fifty selected applicants for receiving matching grants gained essential business knowledge through a 10-day training supported by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan.
According to FAO Country Office in Tajikistan, the Business Essentials training took place in Hisor city and Jaloliddini-Balkhi district of Tajikistan.
The training is expected to help grants applicants turn their remittances into agricultural and agribusiness investments in Tajikistan. The curricula reportedly included the preparation of successful business plans and further business operations. In general, it aimed at promoting economic growth, enhancing food and nutrition security and reducing rural poverty in Tajikistan.
The Business essentials training was created to build a foundation of a business start-up and day-to-day business work for beginners, as well as enhancing knowledge of those who want to take their enterprise to the next level. Participants learned about business plans, presentation tips, appropriate business etiquette, effective communication and logistics.
The training consisted of lectures, presentations and practical exercises, such as SWOT analyses, on various areas, including marketing, basic accounting taxation and planning. The trainers are experts of the Adult Education Centre under the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population of Tajikistan.
By the end of the training, each participant has developed a draft of its business plan to be finalized during the second training session, which is going to focus on technical skills needed to establish their businesses in the selected sectors.
Upon completion of the business and technical trainings, trainees will present their business plans to the project oversight committee to apply for financial support. FAO, in close collaboration with the Ministry and the local authorities, will carefully monitor the assigned grants’ performance and support the entrepreneurs with advice.
The training was conducted under the pilot project, Promoting Inclusive Economic Growth through Matching Grants, which aims to channel remittances to agriculture and agribusinesses. It is part of a wider FAO project on strengthening food security and nutrition in selected Countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia, funded by the Russian Federation. The project should promote cross-sectoral collaboration by providing support to effectively pursue and manage coherence between agriculture, nutrition, health, education and social protection sectors.
