Asean mentorship program to kick off

GO Negosyo’s mentorship program for small businesses is set to be implemented across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member countries this month, its founder Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion 3rd announced Wednesday.

The entrepreneur mentoring program will bring formal training to millions of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region.

Concepcion said the Asean Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN) is a modules-based training program facilitated by accredited mentors and designed for MSMEs.

“It can be likened to an MBA (master of business administration) program for MSMEs,” he said.

Go Negosyo originated the blueprint for AMEN, and patterned it after its Kapatid Mentor Micro-Enterprises (KMME), which it implements along with the Department of Trade and Industry.

The KMME program has been implemented in the Philippines since 2016, and has since produced more than 12,000 graduates.

Concepcion is the proponent of AMEN, a legacy project of the Asean Business Advisory Council (ABAC)–Philippines, of which he is the chairman.

AMEN aims to certify and train at least ten mentors from each Asean member state, and mentor at least 30 MSMEs from each Asean member state.

It was first piloted in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

For its Asean-wide implementation, AMEN will be translated into seven languages, namely, Khmer, Indonesian, Lao, Bahasa Malay, Burmese, Thai and Viet.

At the Handover Ceremonies of the ABAC held in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 30, Concepcion reiterated the importance of MSMEs in achieving inclusive economic prosperity in the region, and the role of AMEN in making this possible.

“We must embrace these MSMEs,” he told the gathering of Asean officials, diplomats and some of the region’s most successful businessmen.

“It is our responsibility as big business to help [MSMEs] move up the ladder,” he added. “As we scale them up, your businesses will also scale up.”

The Go Negosyo founder said upgrading and upskilling MSMEs “can have a great impact on the region’s economies, and help achieve greater equality and prosperity for all.”

There are more than 70 million MSMEs in the Asean, and they are estimated to be responsible for generating 85 percent of the jobs and 45 percent of the gross domestic product in the region.

In his speech before the ABAC, Concepcion thanked the government of Japan, which funded AMEN through two grants: $347,396 in March 2019 for its pilot phase, and $333,943 in March 2022.

Both grants were made through the Japan-Asean Integration Fund.

Japanese Ambassador of Mission to Asean Kiya Masahiko congratulated AMEN’s proponents for the success of the program’s pilot implementation and the commencement of its second phase.

He also expressed his support of the prioritization of MSMEs as beneficiaries of ABAC, adding that the Asean is Japan’s largest investment destination in the East Asian region.

“It will contribute to narrowing the gap, which is very important in this region,” he said. “Growth is important, but equity and fairness and inclusivity, that is a priority for this year’s Asean BAC.”

Launched in 2017 and supported by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, which runs the Go Negosyo advocacy, AMEN aims to institute a public-private partnership system that will help MSMEs access money, markets and mentorship which can help them scale up their operations and improve their profitability and sustainability.

“With AMEN, we can help Asean MSMEs realize their potential to enhance and grow the region into a more united, cooperative and integrated economy,” Concepcion said.