SERDA hosts experts from Serbia: Exchange of experience on establishing an SME mentoring system

During the meeting, experts from the Development Agency of Serbia, Ana Žegarac and Srđan Beljan, presented the Mentoring Programme for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, which was developed and successfully implemented in the Republic of Serbia with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Particular attention was given to the process of establishing the national mentoring system, the institutional framework for its implementation, the methodology used by mentors, as well as the results achieved by the programme in improving the business performance of SMEs.

The meeting was organised as part of activities aimed at improving the SME support system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in the context of the Ministry of Economy of Sarajevo Canton joining as a new partner in the regional project “Strengthening and Expanding the Mentoring Support for Small and Medium Enterprises in the Western Balkan Countries”, which will be implemented over the next three years with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Sarajevo Canton had the opportunity to learn about good practices from the Republic of Serbia in the development and implementation of mentoring services, JICA’s role in strengthening mentors’ capacities, as well as the challenges and lessons learned during the programme’s many years of implementation. The participants highlighted the importance of exchanging experiences and strengthening regional cooperation in order to enhance institutional capacities for providing high-quality mentoring services to small and medium-sized enterprises. It was concluded that this form of cooperation represents an important contribution to the development of a more competitive and resilient SME sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Representatives of the Development Agency of Serbia also visited the Business Incubator within the Sarajevo Canton Entrepreneurship Development Centre, where they were introduced to programmes supporting small business development implemented by the Ministry of Economy of Sarajevo Canton. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange experiences on entrepreneurship support models and to explore possibilities for future cooperation and joint activities.