The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship – Go Negosyo (PCE-GN), and the Asian Institute of Management – Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness (AIM-RSN PCC) have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing their partnership in conducting the assessment of the Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) Program.
The MOU, which was signed last 07 June 2019 at the DTI Head Office, aims to measure the effectiveness of the KMME Program after which that information will be used to further improve the program. The assessment will be done through the expertise and knowledge of AIM.
The Kapatid Mentor Me is one of the programs for MSMES, aimed at helping them scale up their businesses through weekly modules wherein coaching and mentoring methods are utilized. The experts and trainers are sourced from PCE-GN’s pool of mentors, who are mostly businessmen themselves.
“I am very hopeful that this partnership will clarify the effect that the KMME intervention has on the beneficiaries’ businesses and if the impact has achieved the expected objectives. Apart from this, I hope that the assessment can identify the barriers which prevent optimal improvement through government intervention,” said DTI Regional Operations Group Undersecretary Zenaida C. Maglaya.
AIM RSN PCC serves as AIM’s public policy think tank and research arm, tasked with responding to emerging international economic trends and the demands of an increasingly integrated and competitive global trade and finance environment. Its mandate is producing cutting-edge policy and academic research, providing technical assistance to multilateral organizations and actors from the public and private sectors, and hosting evidence-based policy discussions in support of the long-term growth and development of the Philippines and the Asian region.
Executive Director Jamil Francisco reiterated that “The competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in key sectors must be boosted further, as this is a critical factor in order for them to scale up and foster shared prosperity.”
Under the MOU, DTI will provide the data, statistics, and information gathered from Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII). AIM RSN-PCC shall facilitate the FGDs and KIIs, analyze the data gathered through a qualitative assessment and prepare the evaluation report.
Engr. Merly Cruz of PCE-Go Negosyo emphasized that the results of the assessment can further augment the assistance which DTI can provide in terms of enabling MSMEs to adapt well to the digital economy.♦
Date of Release: 14 June 2019
Updated: 17 June 2019