High-level European experts will advise Guatemalan exporting companies
AGEXPORT entered into an alliance with Swisscontact’s Expert Consulting Services Program (SEC Guatemala), with the aim of facilitating tailor-made professional consultancies based on the specific needs of companies, focusing on the importance of promoting the competitiveness of the export sectors.
Moisés Mérida, the Manager of Alliances for the Development of AGEXPORT, indicated that he did not hesitate in forming this alliance with an entity such as Swisscontact, given that this institution believes particularly in consulting and new capabilities as a valuable tool that can be used throughout the entire chain of export of goods and services, regardless of the position of the companies within this chain, whether exporter, supplier, or service provider, among others, given that together they add up to make the country more competitive.
Swisscontact’s Expert Consulting Services (SEC Guatemala) program has been the flagship program of this entity for more than 40 years and has chosen Guatemala to be the first country in the region to implement it and also transfer knowledge about it to AGEXPORT as a local implementing partner. The SEC Guatemala was launched a year and a half ago in the country with the purpose of supporting SMEs to improve their competitiveness through high-level consultancies offered by international and local volunteer experts, mostly European retirees.
“Swisscontact contributes to increasing and contributing to the competitiveness of the Guatemalan private sector. Supporting small and medium-sized companies to reach their potential, through professional consultancies facilitated by expert volunteers. This alliance is a great achievement for us, since working together with organizations such as AGEXPORT means taking firm steps to effectively contribute to the sustainable and widespread prosperity of the country’s economy”, said Saúl Díaz, Swisscontact Regional Director for Latin America.
Interested companies must meet certain requirements such as: being established in Guatemala, having a minimum of 2 years of operations, being enrolled and registered with the SAT, having between 1 and 300 employees, having minimum annual sales of US$200,000, and participating in semi-annual monitoring. Consulting processes vary between 6 and 12 weeks, through interventions that require around 1.5 to 2 hours per week, in virtual or face-to-face mode. Companies interested in receiving a consultancy must submit a request, which will be reviewed for approval based on its requirements, and then proceed to the process of assigning the ideal expert who will assist them.
