From 23 to 26 September, a Kurdish trade delegation visited the city of Antwerp at the invitation of Voka Antwerp–Waasland. With this visit, Voka further strengthens the ties with the Kurdish Chambers of Commerce.
On Tuesday 24 September, a meet & greet with interested companies from Antwerp took place and an update on the PLATO project, an initiative of VOKA to support and coach companies, was discussed. With a grant from the Government of Flanders, VOKA coaches Kurdish entrepreneurs so that they can carry out the PLATO project independently within the Autonomous Kurdish region. Seventeen Kurdish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were selected to participate in the project. Throughout the 10 sessions, of which 8 have already been held, the SMEs develop a business plan and personnel policy, find business partners and develop export potential. The Kurdish Chambers of Commerce are now looking into ways to implement the project in other Kurdish cities.
Afterwards, twenty Flemish entrepreneurs attended the Meet & Greet event, which was opened with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between VOKA Antwerpen-Waasland and the Chamber of Commerce in Erbil. The directors of the three Kurdish Chambers of Commerce expressed their gratitude for the fruitful cooperation of the last years.
