By Alexey Alexandrovich
The annual awards ceremony recognises the weighty contribution of the private sector towards solving tasks with nationwide importance. The President of Belarus has demanded large-scale modernisation of the economy by the Government and, of course, the private sector has its role to play.
Before the ceremony began, I chatted with Alexander Rakovets, Director General of the Moscow-Minsk Bank, which won ‘Best Bank to Render Services to Entrepreneurs’. He tells us, “The most vital focus is the quality of projects — as especially emphasised by the President. These should target the future, ensuring long-term competitiveness. Well-considered business plans are needed, with entrepreneurs viewing banks not just as sources of borrowing for today but as partners helping them plan for the future.”
Businesses need not only bank support to develop their infrastructure but information and legal support, notes Alexander Moiseikin, the Director of the Gomel Regional Information and Methodical Centre (‘Best Subject of Infrastructure Aiming to Support and Develop Entrepreneurship’). He explains, “Without support for production development, economy would stagnate. It’s now impossible to enter new markets without high technologies so we need small and medium-sized businesses to create a database of worthy contemporary ideas in this sphere.”
Opening the awards ceremony, Belarus’ Prime Minister, Mikhail Myasnikovich, spoke of various aspects, including import-substitution, the presence of a shadow sector in the economy and the reduction of the tax burden. He particularly underlined, “Economies are changing all over the world so we should proceed from the fact that we live under conditions of overproduction of goods and services. This is especially acute for Belarus; accordingly, raising manufacturing volumes of traditional goods won’t ensure the economic growth we require. New hi-tech research is essential, as we need to keep abreast of trends, or even surpass our rivals. If we lag behind, we won’t ever catch up.”
There is much for businesses to tackle before next year’s awards ceremony.
