The Small and Medium Business Technology Innovation Association (InnoBiz) announced on August 23 that it has conducted a training program for East Timorese officials aimed at enhancing their capabilities in industrial policy for small business development.
This training is part of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) global training project, which will be implemented over three years from 2026 to 2028.
The first training session took place from August 9 to 22 at the KOICA training center in Seongnam, South Korea, with 17 officials, including Odete Belo, Director of the Manufacturing Industry Department of the East Timor Ministry of Commerce, participating.
The training covered five main topics: the role of small businesses in Korea's economic development, policies for fostering technology-driven small enterprises, the policy environment for small businesses in the global and ASEAN context, digital transformation (DX), and startup support policies. Participants also visited the Seoul AI Summit and Expo, as well as various sites including TIPS Town, Incheon Startup Park, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology's Manufacturing AI Research Center, and the Lotte Chilsung Beverage Anseong Factory.
Based on the lectures and site visits, participants developed an 'Action Plan for Small Business Development' tailored for East Timor. This action plan will be submitted to the East Timor Ministry of Commerce as part of its policy improvement initiatives and will be further refined in the second and third years of the training program.
Antonio de Sá Benevides, the East Timorese Ambassador to South Korea, stated, "The application of Korea's small business policies and innovation ecosystem will be reflected in the formulation of East Timor's small business policies. I hope this training will lead to sustained cooperation between our countries."
Jung Kwang-cheon, President of InnoBiz, remarked, "With East Timor's accession to ASEAN, the scope of regional economic cooperation is expanding. We aim to establish a foundation for cooperation between our countries based on shared experiences in small business policies and technology innovation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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