OPTIM Project (Opportunities through Technologies and Innovation in Moldova) is a project of the Swiss Government, implemented by Helvetas in Moldova.
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30+Partners
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40+Succesful Interventions
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2600+Beneficiaries
About OPTIM
Our mission
OPTIM is a market systems development (MSD) project that aims to stimulate selected market systems in Moldova, in order to have an inclusive and innovative society that is forceful enough to create opportunities for development for Moldova.
Our achievements
Since 2019, over 2,600 people (almost 40% of whom are from excluded groups) have taken up economic opportunities enabled by project interventions. A more significant indicator of lasting change is the way that market actors behave – what OPTIM ultimately aims to achieve by following the Market Systems Development approach.
Our goals
OPTIM Project's goal is for women and men, including those from excluded groups, to benefit from better economic opportunities and improved working conditions. During Phase II of the implementation (2023-2026), OPTIM expects to reach 6,000 beneficiaries and CHF 12 million net additional income.
What we do
OPTIM aims to offer Moldovan women and men, including excluded groups, better economic opportunities, and improved working conditions. During the first four years of the project over 2,600 people (almost 40% of whom are from excluded groups) have taken up economic opportunities enabled by project interventions.
The sectors in which we operate
1
Information and communication technologies (ICT)
OPTIM's goal in the ICT sector is to address the lack of skilled workforce. Several success stories of the project’s first phase show encouraging results: since 2019, 4 training providers supported by the project (Iucosoft, DSpirit, WOX, and IT Step Academy, PowerIT) started providing IT trainings in Balti and Comrat. Project will focus on improving cooperations within actors in the ICT sector that lead to the development of high-value products and services by local IT companies. Moving forward and in response to market dynamics, OPTIM will strengthen the component of its work in digitalization.
2
Agriculture (Agrifood)
Agrifood - the most significant sector in the Moldovan economy. It is the sector where the largest share of the population is employed but offers the lowest income across all sectors. In agriculture, OPTIM will seek to leverage the developing cooperation and association models to strengthen access to high-value markets for smallholder farmers or agricultural laborers, while also promoting stronger public-private dialogue spaces. It will strive to offer access to information, knowledge, finance, and digital literacy. Also, since 2019, OPTIM has been addressing the issue of fragmentation of the agricultural sector in Moldova with positive results. OPTIM has contributed to the adoption of efficient agricultural practices and new production technologies through the development of diverse services for small farmers all over the country, The introduction of innovative monitoring and field intervention solutions contributed to the decrease of farmers’ expenditures by 40% and increased their income.
Our partners
News
Read more about OPTIM's most prominent interventions in Agri and IT sectors in Moldova. Get inspired by these success stories.
Do you have a story for OPTIM's blog? Reach out to us.
Entrepreneurs in Moldova learn about the new Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and EFTA countries
At the second working session within the "Digital Evaluation Program of SMEs" participants dived into the digitalization of the agrifood industry
