Hundreds of Kosovo diaspora, business owners, and entrepreneurs gathered together at the recent Kosovo Diaspora Business Convention in Pristina. The two-day convention, organized by the Albanian Diaspora Business Network chapters in Europe and USAID, provided a venue for local and international businesses to familiarize themselves with each other’s work and establish links for new export partnerships.
USAID Mission Director Lisa Magno spoke at the opening ceremony and emphasized the importance of the partnership between Kosovo’s private sector and the diaspora. Over the course of two days, Kosovo businesses and diaspora participated in panel discussions, business-to-business round tables, and toured businesses throughout Kosovo representing the ICT, wood processing, and agribusiness sectors.
Past business-to-business events such as this have resulted in new partnerships and market linkages between the diaspora and Kosovo companies, including the recently launched online supermarket Ekena in Austria. As a result of this year’s convention, Kosovo business owners and entrepreneurs are already exploring new opportunities with the diaspora. Successful business-to-business matches show how the diaspora can play a major role in supporting Kosovo companies to break into new markets and increase exports.
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