The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Procter and Gamble (P&G) signed an agreement that will help micro entrepreneurs develop their business skills, and gain access to start-up capital.
A program for micro-entrepreneurs, which is also one of the key priorities in the current trade agenda, the “P&G Angat Kita Program” is designed to help sari-sari storeowners and other micro-entrepreneurs advance their skills through seminars provided by the agency’s Negosyo Centers.
“This agreement is a huge lift for our micro entrepreneurs especially that we are targeting those who are at the bottom of the pyramid. We are a step closer to achieving the trabaho at negosyo agenda of the administration,” DTI-Regional Operations Group Supervising Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said of the signing.
The “P&G Angat Kita Program” will also help micro entrepreneurs gain access to start-up capital in the form of goods or products and network linkage micro entrepreneurs need to help grow, maintain businesses and lift their current status.
The agreement will also provide a P2,500 worth of P&G start-up package after successfully finishing a basic merchandising seminar in DTI’s Negosyo Centers to 1,000 initial participants of the program. In total, there are 448 Negosyo Centers operating since its inception in 2014.
In line with the Republic Act No. 10644 or the Go Negosyo Act, the DTI-ROG launched Negosyo Centers nationwide to help MSMEs in providing access to information, business name registration, access to finance, access to market and access to training.
DTI and P&G target to cover 20,000 to 30,000 micro entrepreneurs nationwide, after the initial launching in Metro Manila, including the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Marikina and Quezon City.
“This is a welcome agreement for us. After the launching of the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso or P3, we hope that more industry partners link up with DTI to come up with Business Models specially for budding micro-entrepreneurs,” Maglaya added.