Prishtinë, November 13, 2018 – Essential factors that affect successful entrepreneurship and innovation promotion in our country include further improvement of entrepreneurship ecosystem elements, particularly human capital investment, and also the economic and political stability of the country. This was said during the roundtable discussion on the Establishment of a Stable Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, which marked the first event after the opening ceremony of the Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Swedish Ambassador, Karin Hernmarck Ahliny, German Ambassador, Christian Heldt, Norwegian Ambassador, Per Strand Sjaastad, and the Minister of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Besim Beqaj were part of the roundtable discussion organized by the Innovation Centre of Kosovo (ICK) and the American Chamber of Commerce.
The panel moderated by AmCham Executive Director, Arian Zeka, was mainly focused on eliminating system failures that prevent an all-inclusive entrepreneurship in the Kosovar society, and also on identifying potentials that would assist the economic development in the country. Zeka thanked the ambassadors for all the support provided for Kosovo, but also the Innovation Centre, that has supported many successful startups. Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK), Uranik Begu, awarded the Ambassadors and the Minister of Innovation as “Champions of Innovation”.
On the discussion further on was mentioned, regarding human capital, as one of the main links to the entrepreneurship ecosystem chain, that a bigger investment is needed for youth training, and later on the German dual educational system also, which could be successfully replicated in Kosovo. The importance of providing necessary infrastructural space for the remarkable youth of Kosovo, while the Germano-Kosovar Innovation and Training Park, which will be placed in the former KFOR German contingent military base will provide the necessary infrastructure space for the youth of Kosovo.
In regards to potential ideas that could characterize entrepreneurship in Kosovo, the panelists discussed also the importance identifying services that foreign companies require which could be offered from young entrepreneurs in Kosovo, but also for the need of transforming Kosovo in a producer of technology instead of an exploiter.
Swedish, German, and Norwegian Ambassadors expressed their optimism regarding the future of Kosovo in entrepreneurship, while pledging their continuous support in this regard.