PM Terminals Poti Managing Director Keld Mosgaard Christensen and USAID Economic Security Program Deputy Chief of Party Marika Shioshvili affirmed their joint commitment to closely coordinate their efforts and leverage respective resources for the deployment of a joint cooperation project in the area of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) development a ceremony marking a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Poti, Georgia.

Under the MoU, APM Terminals Poti will partner with USAID Economic Security Program to scale up the Technical Assistance (TA) component of the ongoing APMTerminals4Poti project – ongoing CSR activity, which delivers grant and TA support to more than 80 Poti-based MSMEs. Within the joint cooperation, local entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to enhance their business skills in directions such as financial literacy, market linkages and (online) marketing.

,,I am very pleased to confirm the launch of our partnership with the USAID Economic Security Program. The program is designed to support the community in Poti through a focus on sustainable development, women's economic empowerment and the enhancement of business skills. These are areas where we see tremendous value for the local community, and by signing the partnership memorandum with the USAID Economic Security program, we once more demonstrate APM Terminals' commitment to the community of Poti," says Managing Director Keld Mosgaard Christensen.

,,We are very pleased to partner with APM Terminals Poti on a project "APM4Poti", through which we will jointly support over 80 Poti-based entrepreneurs in improving their business practices and growing revenues through both trainings and individual consultations," – noted Marika Shioshvili, Deputy Chief of Party of USAID Economic Security Program.

About the project:

In 2021, APM Terminals Poti launched a small business incentive and support program (APMTerminals4Poti) to support local entrepreneurship, which transformed the company's relationship with locals in to a brand new, collaborative format. UnderAPMTerminals4Poti, entrepreneurs had the opportunity to obtain targeted funding through a competition.

The program provided funding to more than80 small business projects, which, along with the creation of new jobs, will make it easier for the people of Poti to access desired products or services. The maximum amount allocated to each project is GEL 4,000 and requires cofounding from the beneficiaries in the amount of at least 20% of the requested budget.

Under the new initiative, program beneficiaries will be able to improve skills needed for entrepreneurship through the trainings and networking events.

About the company: APM Terminals is an A.P. Moller – Maersk company with its headquarters in The Hague, The Netherlands, operating 75 port and terminal facilities in 42 countries on five continents. It has operated Poti Sea Port since 2011.

APM Terminals Poti continues to be recognized as a key market player in the Caucasus region and central Asia and a significant contributor to the economies in Georgia's respective local communities. The company's contribution to the community is significant. It is one of the largest employers in the country and an enabler of job creation.

About USAID in Georgia: During the past 30 years, the American people, through USAID, have invested over $1.8 billion in Georgia. USAID projects are designed to support Georgia's transition to a free and prosperous democracy and include initiatives to accelerate economic growth, develop democratic institutions, and improve health and education. USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit http://georgia.usaid.gov

About the USAID Economic Security Program: a 5-year $23 million project funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by DAI Global. The Program is aimed at accelerating broad-based growth of sectors outside of agriculture that show strong potential to create jobs, generate investment and increase micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) revenues. https://www.facebook.com/EconSecProgram