The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has signed a memorandum of agreement with Converge ICT Solutions to strengthen support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The partnership aims to provide connectivity, digital tools and capacity-building programs anchored on artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.
DTI assistant secretary Nyla Rizza Bautista, who supervises the Competitiveness and Innovation Group, said the partnership centers on helping MSMEs embrace digital transformation through a two-year collaboration focused on training, mentorship and access to digital platforms.
A key component of the agreement is Converge’s participation in DTI’s AI and Startup Center, located on the ground floor of the agency’s main office in Makati.
Converge will maintain a dedicated space inside the hub to showcase AI solutions and digital platforms that MSMEs can use to modernize their operations.
“They’re going to be part of the AI and Startup Center, where they can feature and showcase the AI platforms and digital solutions they can offer our MSMEs,” Bautista said. “They already have a lineup of workshops and programs they can offer for free.”
Converge senior vice president for the SME Group Dindo Marzan said the agreement aligns with the telecom company’s newly formed SME unit and is built on three pillars — connectivity, content and community.
“We want to support DTI in three Cs: connectivity, content and community building,” Marzan said. “There’s no better partner than DTI because they already have the MSMEs, and we want to be part of that endeavor.”
Bautista emphasized that the program is open to all types of MSMEs — not only tech-oriented entrepreneurs. Workshops are scheduled for diverse sectors such as apparel, food, agribusiness and health care.
“We’re building an ecosystem for MSME readiness, from ideation at the startup hub, to business name registration at our Negosyo Center, and eventually showcasing products at our MSME hub,” she added.
The DTI is aiming to support as many MSMEs as possible, tapping the country’s estimated 1.2 million business owners, though Bautista said it is too early to project exact figures until workshops and onboarding are in full swing.
Marzan said the initiative is part of Converge’s long-term strategy, particularly in serving microbusinesses that often feel left behind in digitalization programs. He acknowledged that both government and private sector efforts in the past have fallen short in reaching the smallest entrepreneurs.
