On October 2, 2021, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School hosted the start of a medium-term interdisciplinary face-to-face and distance learning program with a practical consulting component for leaders of member business associations as part of the second phase of the UNDP Project "Strengthening Member Business Associations of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Ukraine" in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and with the support of Switzerland. This project aims to accelerate the development of the MSME sector by strengthening the capacity of member business associations (BAs).

During 2015-2018, the first phase of the Project was implemented by the United Nations Development Program, with 7 business associations participating, achieving significant results thanks to their participation in the Project. The successful experience will be expanded in the second phase of the Project (2020-2023) by increasing the number of partner organizations to 27 business associations of various types from all over Ukraine.

During the Project, over the next 9 months (i.e., 9 modules of three integrated levels), participants will acquire the necessary knowledge and practical skills to develop the organizational, managerial, and financial capacity of their business associations.

"This is a story about leaders, about your development and the development of your potential," addressed the participants Eduard Maltsev, Deputy Dean of kmbs. "But it is also about your teams, about how your people will develop with you and work on creating a strategy."

On the first day of the Project, BA representatives got acquainted with each other and with the Project concept. They also listened to the first lectures from experts who spoke about modern management practices, the role of mentoring, and facilitation in organizing team work. Participants actively engaged in discussions and have already begun to "try on" the acquired knowledge to their own BAs.

"Flexibility is the main trend in company management," noted Olena Sapozhkova. She emphasized that successful management is possible "when an employee and every member of the organization have a completely natural perception of the common goal as their own."

The project is expected to positively impact the organizational and financial stability of business associations, help them become centers of reliable information for thousands of entrepreneurs, develop constructive cooperation with government structures, and participate in shaping public policy aimed at developing the MSME sector.