KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during a meeting with President of the National Council of Switzerland Christa Markwalder in Kyiv noted an 8.3% rise in Swiss investments in Ukraine in the first half of 2016.
According to the presidential press service, Poroshenko stated this is the first visit of the head of the lower house of the Swiss parliament to Ukraine.
“He expressed hope the next meeting of the Ukrainian-Swiss committee for trade and economic cooperation to be held in Kyiv in late September will contribute to a further increase in the pace of trade and investment between the two countries,” the report says.
The head of state thanked the Swiss side for the principled position as for non-recognition of the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the steps taken to prevent the use of Switzerland for Russia’s bypassing the sanctions imposed by the EU.
“Poroshenko said Ukraine strictly adheres to the course on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. He noted the prerequisite for progress in resolving the situation in Donbas is Russia’s starting the fulfillment of the obligations undertaken in the sphere of security,” the report reads.
KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ukrainian-German business forum will be held in Kyiv in October, according to the website of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.
“The ministry together with the German economy delegation to Ukraine had been working on preparing the business forum for 2.5 months, the forum will take place on October 11, 2016. The program will consist of five panel discussions and B2B meetings of Ukrainian and German companies,” the report says.
Panel discussions on five themes are planned: industry, infrastructure and logistics, innovation and digital world, renewable energy and energy efficiency, agro-industry and food.
The report notes in June this year Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to hold the Ukrainian-German business forum in Kyiv.
As reported, in October last year the Ukrainian-German business forum was held in Berlin. About 600 participants, mostly German companies, should have attended the event.
KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Biofarma LLC (Kyiv) in two or three years would be able to start producing antitetanus immunoglobulinin, the company has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“We are ready to start designing antitetanus immunoglobulinin if the country needs it. We have production technologies. We understand how to do this. We would be able to produce in two or three years,” Deputy Director for Science and Technologies at Biofarma Vitaliy Karbovsky said.
The Health Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine that Biofarma and blood donor centers are able to produce these immunoglobulinins.
“Negations are underway. There is certain progress. Immunoglobulinins can be made in Ukraine,” the ministry said.
Biofarma is in the top ten largest Ukrainian drug manufactures. Biofarma produces more than 20 immunobiological preparations of blood, as well as drugs obtained by recombinant DNA technology and probiotics.
KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv) hopes that programs to create Ukrainian next generation aircraft would be implemented with attraction of foreign investment.
Assessing the potential of international cooperation under a request of Interfax-Ukraine, taking into account the right of the Ukrainian aviation industry to create joint ventures abroad introduced in June, Antonov President Oleksandr Kotsiuba said that the law has opened new opportunities for attracting foreign investment in the implementation of projects to promote promising Ukrainian aircraft to the global market. He pointed out new transport An-132, An-178 and An-188 aircraft.
“According to our opinion, these are most popular and promising planes. We could attract investment under these programs,” he said.
Kotsiuba declined to specify the position of the company’s top managers regarding prospects of privatization of the enterprise.
“The issue should be settled at a high national level,” he said.
Antonov State Enterprise is a leading Ukrainian aircraft designer and manufacturer and an acclaimed world leader in the area of various types of transport aircraft. The company cooperates with 76 countries. It was included in Ukroboronprom State Concern in April 2015 on the government’s orders.
KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the list of facilities to be put up for sale in 2016-2017 after they were removed by the Verkhovna Rada from the list of companies ineligible for privatization. The list includes Artyomsol, Ukrspyrt state-run enterprises, Bilshovyk research and development (R&D) enterprise and Lviv state-run jewelry factory.
The amendments are outlined in government resolution No. 588 dated August 31, 2016 posted on its website.
According to the document, the list also includes PJSC Electroprylad R&D complex, Powder Metallurgy Plant, Cherkasy Instrument-Making Plant, the property of Azov Shipyard and Ukrinterautoservice.
The updated list also has eight regional peat state-run enterprises, Kharkiv Electromechanical Plant, Melitopol Plant Hydromash, Kyiv Automatics Institute, Chimtextilmash, 60.888% of shares in PJSC Berezhny Ukrainian Refractory R&D Center, 72.692% in PJSC Conveyor Building R&D Institute and Ukrzinc.
In addition, the list includes several state-run R&D institutes in aviation industry, titanium, ferroalloys, nitrogen and nitrogen compound making industry, organic synthesis, wagon building, coal chemistry, coke chemistry, mining and textile industry and other sectors.
KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) created using funds of the U.S. government since March 2015 has invested around $10 million to Ukraine under some 20 technical assistance programs and projects.
“We plan to work with the Economic Development and Trade Ministry to develop an export promotion policy for Ukraine. We are also going to provide support to at least 200 exporters and at least 100 social enterprises as well as strongly influence the development of startup-ecosystems in Ukraine and Moldova. We hope to create over 30,000 new working places in Ukraine,” WNISEF CEO Jaroslawa Z. Johnson said at a meeting with journalists in Kyiv on Wednesday.
She recalled that the WNISEF has been implementing the $35 million legacy program focused on assisting Ukraine and Moldova, since 2015. The three-year program could be extended.
Johnson said that this covers the following areas: export promotion, local economic development, impact investing and economic leadership.
Local Economic Development Program Manager Iryna Ozymok said that WNISEF provided an initial funding of $50,000 to develop ProZorro public e-procurement system and then the funding reached $300,000. This has already saved some UAH 3 billion in state money.
The fund has promoted access to international markets for about 70 Ukrainian manufacturers, founded five Ukrainian Leadership Academies (Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Myrhorod and Mykolaiv) that enrolled over 200 secondary school graduates in 2016, restored four schools in Donbas for 320 children and supported 24 hub schools – one in each region.
CANactions school for urban studies was financed by WNISEF. Grants to implement seven projects of graduates in seven Ukrainian cities were provided. A first project incubator 1991 was created in Ukraine. School of Mayors and operation of Agency of Mykolaiv Development were supported. The fund also cooperates with banks to launch a low-interest loan mechanism for social enterprises.
WNISEF seeks to increase the number of Leadership Academies in various regions of Ukraine to 15 by 2018. It is planned to launch two 1991 incubators on the basis of universities and one urban incubator. The program then will be expanded to Moldova and their number will be brought to six.
Export Promotion Program Manager Vitaliy Bihdai said that at present WNISEF is participating in designing the National export strategy, supports operations of the Export Promotion Office and creation of the Investment Promotion Office at the government.
Economic Leadership Program Manager Roman Tychkivsky added that WNISEF also finances Seed Grant program that helps Ukrainians to get business education abroad. In 2015-2016, over $1 million for 19 grant holders was provided to allow them to study at top universities of the United States and Britain. The fund plans to increase expenses on business education of Ukrainians to $5 million by 2018. Tychkivsky said that recipients of this assistance agree to work in Ukraine for at least three years after graduating.
Western NIS Enterprise Fund is a $150 million regional private equity fund, a pioneer in Ukraine and Moldova with more than two decades of successful experience in investing in small and medium-sized companies. Since its inception, WNISEF’s cumulative investments total over $168 million to 118 companies in Ukraine and Moldova.
