SECOND DAY OF THE MACEDONIA2025 SUMMIT: Digitalization and Eliminating Corruption

– Preconditions for Accelerated Economic Growth

Skopje, 16 May 2024 – Digitalization, as one of the priority areas of action and a core pillar of Macedonia2025’s platform for accelerated economic growth, was a key topic on the second day of the Summit held in Skopje.

In line with the goal of significantly deepening cooperation in the field of digital transformation, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed during the Summit between Macedonia2025, the GoDigital Center for Digital Transformation, the Swiss Improving Market Employment (IME) program, VISA Southeast Europe, and Clearing House – Interbank Clearing Systems AD Skopje (CIBS).

The aim of this partnership is to provide concrete support to domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in implementing new digital technologies and products.

Chair of the Board of Directors of Macedonia2025, Michael Chklamovski, expressed great satisfaction with the establishment of this cooperation, emphasizing:
"Macedonia2025 is fully committed to supporting the GoDigital Center for Digital Transformation. We believe that creating an ecosystem for digital transformation will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness and innovativeness of the Macedonian economy."

The official signing of the memorandum was attended by H.E. Veronique Ulmann, Ambassador of Switzerland to North Macedonia, who stated:
"Switzerland is strongly committed to supporting the country on its path toward sustainable economic development. Through our development program, we support the digital transformation of micro, small, and medium enterprises, with a focus on agribusiness and sustainable active tourism. We also support the ICT sector and believe this new partnership creates new business opportunities for ICT companies in the country."

For Goran Anastasovski from CIBS, "This initiative represents a significant opportunity for training personnel in small and medium-sized enterprises, and we also hope in the public administration," highlighting the realistic potential to accelerate the digitalization process across the country.

Reinforcing Digitalization and Anti-Corruption Efforts at the Macedonia2025 Summit

Recalling that the establishment and support of GoDigital by Macedonia2025 is part of the organization’s strategic commitment to greater involvement in society-wide digitalization, with a special focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Vasko Kronevski, member of the Board of Directors of Macedonia2025, emphasized: "All the support provided by Macedonia2025, through resources and expertise, is initially aimed at setting up and creating an ecosystem of consultants and companies that will offer innovative solutions, enabling the digitalization of the companies where they are implemented, while ensuring that all of this is sustainable in the long term."

Expressing satisfaction with the establishment of this new partnership, Prof. Nikica Mojsoska Blazhevski, Executive Director of Macedonia2025, stated:
"By combining our resources and efforts, together we will contribute to faster digitalization, at least in one part of society, specifically for businesses." She also announced that other organizations and companies are expected to join this initiative soon.

Beyond digitalization, the second day of this year’s Macedonia2025 Summit focused on strategies for combating corruption, as one of the prerequisites for accelerated development. Significant attention was also given to the panel session on effective strategies for attracting investments in the new global era. During the session on democracy and freedom of speech, Kris Pavlovski, founder of Rambll and Board member of Macedonia2025, one of the most successful Macedonians in the diaspora with significant investments in the domestic economy, delivered a keynote address.

Discussions also focused on:

• Creating new strategies for building resilient supply chains amid global disruptions,

• Challenges and opportunities for growth in the automotive industry,

• Leveraging digital health innovations to improve medical services in Southeast Europe,

• The importance of data and analytics in business success.

The conference part of this year’s Summit, which featured over 50 speakers across 12 panel sessions and was attended by over 500 representatives from domestic, regional, and diaspora companies, experts, and leaders, will conclude with an address by Christian Mickovski, the potential Prime Minister-designate for the formation of the new government.

For more information about the Summit, visit: Macedonia2025 Summit 2024

For more information on the activities of the GoDigital Center for Digital Transformation, visit: GoDigital.mk