WASHINGTON, USA – The government of Ecuador and the Organization of American States (OAS) signed a cooperation agreement to implement the OAS MSMEs Digitalization Plan in that country, a tool that will provide thousands of small businesses the opportunity to prosper and expand by embracing the digital economy.
During the signing ceremony, the OAS executive secretary for integral development, Kim Osborne, explained that “small businesses play a vital role in our communities.”
“Assisting them in their digitization process is essential as part of the efforts made to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure their survival beyond this crisis,” said Osborne, adding that “these are small units of production that are essential to offer more inclusive development.”
The permanent representative of Ecuador to the OAS, Carlos Játiva, said the agreement “constitutes a response from the OAS to assist in the reactivation of MSMEs suffering from adverse economic and social consequences as a result of the current health crisis, offering them an online tool that will allow them to enter the internet market, positioning the services they provide in favor of their potential clients.”
For her part, the minister of tourism of Ecuador, Rosi Prado de Holguín, thanked the OAS for offering “a very special opportunity in these difficult times.”
“The concern of the Ecuadorian government has always been small and medium-sized enterprises, it is a very special sector of the economy and we know that this program is going to help us improve the life and well-being of our country,” he said.
As part of the initiatives implemented to support OAS member countries in their efforts to face the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the OAS executive secretariat for Integral Development, together with KOLAU – a strategic partner of Google, offers the Digitization Plan that allows micro, small and medium-sized companies the opportunity to create a dynamic website that is intelligently positioned on Google Maps. When searching online for a certain product or service, customers can find in the application the location of the store closest to their residence/hotel and contact the provider to place an order and pay for it upon receipt. This service is available to MSMEs from all sectors.
The MSMEs Digitization Plan has already been implemented by the OAS in nine countries. To date, more than 65,000 entrepreneurs from Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Paraguay, Jamaica, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico have already benefited.
