Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Felix Taguiam. (File photo)
CEBU CITY – The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), in partnership with the city government, is implementing the Cebu Investment Development Concierge Center (CIDCC) project this year.
CCCI president Felix Taguiam on Monday said one of the five pillars of the project is Supply Chain Ecosystem Development to be started with the implementation of the Barangay-Based Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program (BBEMP).
“BBEMP’s long-term goal is to boost Cebu City’s local economy by supporting, enlightening its MSMEs on how to revive, survive and if needed, to reboot and reformat their businesses in order to recover and build these back in a better position amidst the Covid-19 pandemic,” the business leader told the local media here.
Taguiam said the program’s short-term specific objectives are to provide a platform for existing entrepreneurs to learn from and be inspired by the entrepreneurial journey of the mentors while achieving individual aspirations in life and to guide the participants in adopting smart business strategies that respond to the challenges of the “new normal” business environment.
It also aims to channel capacity building on an online platform using as benchmark the Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprise–Money and Market Encounter (KMME-MME) online program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) implemented in partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE)-Go Negosyo.
“The program will be implemented across the 80 barangays of Cebu City and targets to graduate 3,200 MSMEs, displaced workers and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are interested to operate a business,” Taguiam said.
The CCCI, in partnership with Famcor Franchise Management and Executive Development, conducted an online orientation for mentors and coaches for the BBEMP.
The program has an initial 21 mentors and coaches composed of business experts, certified mentors of the KMME-MME online program, business management faculty of Cebu universities, and business consultants from the AIM Alumni Association.
The orientation aims to provide mentors with more detailed information about the BBEMP program and to validate with and generate recommendations and enhancements from them on the mentoring syllabus and presentation materials, and the mentoring and coaching approach and implementation schedule.
The participants were also introduced to the mentoring app to facilitate efficient monitoring of the status of program implementation.
The program is open to all micro, small and medium business owners residing and/or conducting business in the Cebu City area; all business industries; businesses already registered or undergoing registration process; and all displaced workers and OFWs who are interested in starting their own business.
Further, the program does not set minimum educational attainment for all interested participants, a minimum number of years of business operations, and a minimum number of employees in case of business owners are interested to join the program. (PNA)
