The National Association of ICT Companies (ATIC) celebrates 15 years of activity. In its 15 years of existence, ATIC has contributed to promoting the development of the ICT sector in the Republic of Moldova, which currently has a share of 7% of the national Gross Domestic Product and has become the umbrella association for 80 companies and 9,000 employees. ATIC was created with the aim of growing the IT and communications market, improving the technical skills of the workforce, protecting investments in the field and participating directly in the decision-making and regulatory process at national and international level.
Marina Bzovii, ATIC Executive Director: “In the last 15 years of activity, ATIC has managed to ensure that synergy between the development of the sector and the promotion of companies' priorities both by implementing projects and by promoting a dedicated agenda. And currently, ATIC's priorities include developing its own long-term strategy, the 2021 White Paper on the ICT sector, which includes all the industry's priority topics, including changes and amendments that could lead to continued development and that aims the priority no. 1 of this sector - human capital”
The successes registered in 15 years of activity show that ATIC has strengthened the sector’s vision, become the most successful industry association, with a positive reputation and a significant contribution to the development of the ICT sector but also a reliable partner for the Government and external donors.
Scott Hocklander, Mission Director of USAID Moldova: “USAID, along with partners in Sweden, has watched with admiration and pride as the ICT industry has grown into a leading industry in the last 15 years here in Moldova, helping to create well-paid jobs in the country, which will stimulate the brightest minds to stay in Moldova, which, in turn, contributes to economic growth based on digital innovation. From 2017 to 2020, the ICT industry increased its annual sales revenues 3 times, from MDL 2.1 billion to MDL 6.6 billion, reaching a share of 3.1% of the GDP of the Republic of Moldova. In 2019 only, the industry grew by over MDL 1.32 billion. This positive development in the ICT sector has an equally impressive increase in the number of companies during this period, from 1700 to 2300 and the staff employed in the industry from 23,300 to 29,600 people. USAID continues to see significant and sustainable potential in the ICT sector. ”
Adam Amberg, Adviser, Head of the Development Cooperation Section, Swedish Embassy in Moldova: “Together with USAID, Sweden supports the development of the ICT sector, through a special partnership with ATIC. I think that this partnership has made a difference in the ICT scenery in Moldova. We are very pleased to see the growth and development of the ICT sector in recent years. From the perspective of Swedish cooperation, we continue to encourage the reduction of the gender gap in the digital sphere. Moldova has been a hidden treasure in terms of the IT industry at European level, but we see how you position yourself on the IT map. It's great to follow you and support you on this journey. ”
During 15 years of activity, ATIC has implemented initiatives aimed at growing the IT market in the Republic of Moldova. And projects related to cultivating technical skills among students, promoting IT careers and preparing the workforce according to market requirements, have always been one of ATIC’s priorities. The projects carried out contributed to the development and cultivation of the skills required on the labour market, and during the 108 initiatives for the development of the labour force, more than 200 thousand hours of specialized courses were taught.
One of the most representative projects of ATIC is the Center of Excellence “Tekwill” – a hub where people connect to ideas, resources, and science, to develop together the ICT sector. Since its creation and until now, TEKWILL, has attracted funds of over 14 million dollars, has hosted 865 thousand hours of training, with over 400 thousand beneficiaries, of which 43.4% are girls and women.
Ana Chirita, ATIC Strategic Projects Director: “We can talk about the achievements we managed to achieve with the help and involvement of the private sector, donors, academia, and, why not, the state, the Government. Probably, if we were to refer to a few figures, we can say that at least every 10th citizen of this country, every 5th school in this country, every university that has a specialty in IT or technical professional college in the IT field, have gone through activities by which we tried to improve the academic environment, the IT environment, the educational environment, so that we can grow the sector. I think we can talk about 40% girls, over 150 thousand beneficiaries in total and over 1000 companies. I think that every second company in Moldova has interacted with ATIC, whether it was a member, whether it came with support, or whether it received support due to the implemented projects. The IT sector, in 2020, managed to surpass any service in terms of exports, i.e. we are no. 1 in exporting services to Moldova. This is also due to those visions that we have positioned over the years.“ For 15 years, the expertise of the members and the ATIC team has made an enormous contribution to changing the legal framework for the development of the IT sector. The association has supported and promoted a competitive regional tax regime for the IT sector, where legislative changes approved by the authorities have also contributed to creating an enabling environment for the operation of IT parks, the adoption of the Visa IT regime - legal initiative that aims to attract foreign investment and to eliminate barriers for foreign investors and professionals, but also for the introduction of tax incentives for IT specialists.
After 15 years, we got here. However, we want to grow and expand digital technologies across the country.
