J.E. Austin Associates is working with our partner, Chemonics, to promote a strong, diverse, and open economy in Ukraine through the USAID Competitive Economy Program (CEP). The program works with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in critical industries in the country to improve competitiveness, access to markets, and attract investments. The program also works with industry stakeholders and the government in Ukraine to enhance the business enabling environment for SMEs, helping these businesses increase sales, create new jobs, and attract investment.    

JAA is specifically supporting component two of the project: emerging industries. JAA conducted an industry analysis and selected IT, wood products, and furniture manufacturing for the project support. Later, food processing, tourism, and film/creative industries have been identified as additional sectors with the potential for rapid growth, success in export markets, and the ability to generate new jobs and investment. JAA has worked with stakeholders within these sectors to develop industry-specific competitiveness action plans (CAPS) and conduct workshops to build their capacity.    

In the tourism sector, JAA is proud of the work the National Tourism Organization of Ukraine (NTOU) is doing to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the tourism industry. Ukraine recently qualified for the #SafeTravels designation, which signifies the sector's adoption of the World Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) SafeTravels health and hygiene global standardized protocols. Over 260 tourism professionals from all over the country participated in WTTC protocol training seminars. The NTOU, a CEP grantee, recently launched the #SafeTravels Contest to promote compliance with WTTC protocols within the sector. The 240 competition winners represented every region in the country and were awarded #SafeTravel certificates and gift sets.