The development of social entrepreneurship in Montenegro can be the driver of the development of local self-governments and the generator of creating new jobs especially for the most vulnerable categories of the population, said representative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Jasmin Lukačević.
He was one of the guests today at the Fair of Social Enterprises, organized by the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, where ten non-governmental organizations (NGOs) received grants within the Smart Start project. Mr. Lukavcevic pointed out that Montenegro has not yet started to use all the potentials available to provide social entrepreneurship, assessing that social enterprises are the main driver of social innovation.
The project coordinator of Smart Start, Biljana Sekulic, said that 45 organizations registered in the public call last year had some entrepreneurial activity in order to, as she explained, later turn into a social enterprise.
“The evaluators selected 20 of them, who entered the education program. The team selected ten of them and Smart Start offered them grants . The grants are in the amount of EUR 5 553 and are considered a financial injection. It is a support that will help them to improve their activities and start their business,” explained Sekulić.
She added that non-governmental organizations that received grants will have the support of the mentor, who will work with them.