Filipos RUXHO
Prof. Ass. Dr., Vice President for Innovation and External Relations, Universum College, Kosovo
filip.ruxho@universum-ks.org
Christos Ap. LADIAS
Professor, Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists
ladias@rsijournal.eu
Abstract
All research so far, related to financing the needs of SMEs in Kosovo, show that financing remains among the main problems for starting the growth and development of the country’s economy, especially for regional small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. This phenomenon has created negative consequences in the growth and development of businesses in general, as well as the growth of investment activities in particular. Despite the fact that SMEs affect the generation of new jobs, poverty reduction and economic growth, SMEs in Kosovo still face various and serious challenges in business development. Among other difficulties, there is access to finance, as well as the possibility of investing from external sources, as internal sources of funding are always insufficient. Due to the strategic importance of the manufacturing industry sector in the economy of a country and knowing that for each job contributes 2.3 new jobs in the total economy, we have selected this research which also corresponds to objective 9 of sustainable development and specifically target 9.3 that promotes increased access of small industrial enterprises and other enterprises, especially in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable loans, and their integration into value chains and markets. Referring to this importance, we conducted research in 103 Kosovo regional manufacturing companies in various sectors. The survey was structured with 16 questions which will be presented in detail in this research and which confirm that the increase of financing in the productive sector contributes to the sustainable economic development of Kosovo and to the reduction of unemployment.
Keywords: Financing, Sustainable Development, SMEs, Regional Industry, target
JEL classification: A10, E43, F65, F66, H60, L60, M10, R10
pp. 117-126