Thousands of MSMEs to receive support with digital transformation

Thousands of MSMEs will receive government support and direction in digital transformation

The COVID-19 pandemic has been pushing up digital transformation efforts by companies across the globe. Recognising the importance of digital transformation, Industrial 4.0, and helping businesses to overcome their current challenges, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is drafting a programme on supporting enterprises, cooperatives, and business households with digital transformation in 2021-2025.

The programme will promote digital transformation by increasing awareness among enterprises as well as supporting the digitisation of business activities, management processes, technology and production processes.

Bui Thu Thuy, deputy director-general of the MPI’s Enterprise Development Agency shared, “A comprehensive digital transformation will improve the efficiency of production and business, enhance capacity and competitiveness, create new values for enterprises, cooperatives and business households.”

By 2025, at least 500,000 production facilities and businesses will receive support from the programme in the form of training, consultancyof digital transformation. At least 800 businesses, 100 cooperatives, and 4,000 business households receiving this support will be conduct successful digital transformation.

Besides these, an expert network of at least 500 organisations and individuals will be gathered to advise and promote digital transformation in every enterprise, cooperative, and business household. A map and a database of at least 100 digital transformation technology solutions for production and business establishments will also be released.

“A programme website and a smartphone app have already been built and linked to the SME portal to publish all information related to SMEs, assistance for digital transformation, as well as connect SMEs with experts and technology solutions,” Thuy shared.

Last week, 30 medium-sized enterprises from across the country from industries such as processing, manufacturing, and agricultural production have been selected to receive support and consultancy in the first phase of the Supporting Enterprises' Digital Transformation 2021-2025 project funded by USAID LinkSME (United States Agency for International Development Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises).

They will get in-depth consultation to build a digital transformation roadmap from experts between August and October 2021.

Do Hoang Hai, an expert of the programme said, “The roadmaps will enhance the competitiveness of businesses, helping them to quickly resume operations after the pandemic and participate deeper in global value chains.”

Since launching the programme, numerous forums have been organised and direct advisory has been provided to around 6,000 SMEs in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue, setting up the foundation for the MPI to begin drafting the support programme for enterprises.

Particularly, in combination with the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development and the Vietnam Cooperatives Alliance, the programme supported SMEs, cooperatives, and business households with digitisation to boost agricultural products consumption. At first, localities applying social distancing received guidance to sell their agricultural products on digital platforms. After that, all cooperatives and business households will receive training to enhance their competitiveness and expand consumption markets domestically and globally.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s Decision No.942/QD-TTg dated June 15, 2021 approving the e-government development strategy towards the digital government in the 2021-2025 period with a vision to 2030 targets that every business household and SME will easily use a digital technology platform for production and business.

As of June 2021, there were about 870 enterprises, 26,000 cooperatives (including 6.8 million members), and over 5.1 million business households operating across the country. Micro- and small-sized enterprises account for an overwhelming 94 per cent.