Business support as a basis for development: entrepreneurs from Mariupol shared their experience in Kyiv

"The Future in Ukraine: Recovery and Human Capital Development" Forum featured a panel discussion with representatives of de-occupied communities and entrepreneurs from the temporarily occupied territories. The participants discussed the economic vision of Mariupol after de-occupation as part of the "Mariupol Reborn" plan, which is being developed by the team of Mayor Vadym Boichenko. Special attention is paid to business development. 

Mariupol entrepreneur Maria Bubnova also took part in the discussion. She lost her entire business due to the occupation of her hometown. Currently, she has managed to launch her own production in Slavutych thanks to grant support. According to the businesswoman, there is now a need for a programme to support relocated businesses. 

"To plan our development and return to the de-occupied territories, we now need to enable businesses to get back on their feet and provide them with the necessary resources. So that later they can return to the city or open a branch. Because if we don't act now, the future we dream of will not come," said Maria. 

Ihor Kudenka, Director of the Department of Economy of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, noted that a state strategy is needed to understand what businesses will return to the de-occupied territories and in what way. According to him, it is important to maintain business ties with the occupied communities. In fact, many entrepreneurs are currently re-registering their businesses in new communities.

The audience was also told about an example of business returning to Bucha. In particular, local authorities started by establishing communication to assess the needs of entrepreneurs. They created an economic profile of the community, which indicated the largest clusters of the town, what kind of business was coming in, information on regulatory policy, tracking the effects of the tax burden on business. All this led to almost all entrepreneurs returning to the town.