Diaspora seeks answers to support BiH economy

(Patria) - The USAID Project "Diaspora Invest" today presented the Diaspora Summer Calendar for this year, with special emphasis on large gatherings of the business community from the Bosnian diaspora. Due to the current situation in the country and the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, planned conferences will move a large segment of their activities online.

"The USAID Project "Diaspora Invest" is supporting three major events this summer: the "Connecto" conference in Mostar, organized by the INTERA Technology Park Mostar from July 28 to 30; then "Reconnect" in Sarajevo, organized by "Restart" on August 13; and the BiH Diaspora Business Forum "BHdiaFor", organized by "Naša perspektiva", scheduled for August 27 in Trebinje this year. Registration for all three events is already open, and most activities will be conducted via online communication and in venues with a significantly limited number of participants," announced the USAID Project "Diaspora Invest".

Emina Zahirović-Pintarić, director of "Reconnect", states that this year is important for communication with the diaspora, especially in the context of transferring best practices and experiences in dealing with the challenges of the pandemic for the domestic economy.

"For the fifth year in a row, "Restart", with the support of USAID Diaspora Invest, is organizing the networking event for the diaspora and BiH companies "Reconnect" in Sarajevo. This time too, we are trying to transfer knowledge from the diaspora, and several renowned experts from around the world will talk with us, focusing particularly on the IT sector, tourism, and e-commerce. Thanks to the mobile application GatherUp! EMP platform - the Bosnian IT company App Impact, and the event partner Bisnode, participants will have the opportunity to hold B2B meetings and connect for new types of business cooperation," says Zahirović-Pintarić.

On the other hand, "BHdiaFor" traditionally pays significant attention to the focus on the work of local communities with the diaspora. This year, their focus is on the potential of the Trebinje region.

"The 7th BiH Diaspora Business Forum – BHdiaFor, which we are realizing this year in partnership with the City of Trebinje, aims to stimulate diaspora investments in the Trebinje region. The first part of the meeting includes welcoming speeches and introductory presentations, and it will be held live in Trebinje, while the second part concerning panel sessions and B2B will be online. The entire meeting will be broadcast live on the website www.diasporainvest.ba. We invite the diaspora originating from Trebinje, as well as the entire BiH diaspora, to fill out the online application and respond to this meeting," said Armin Alijagić from "Naša perspektiva".

The USAID Project "Diaspora Invest" has supported over 100 companies founded thanks to the diaspora in BiH. Since the beginning of the pandemic, they have conducted numerous online trainings to provide support to the local economy in dealing with current challenges.