Thailand’s Digital Promotion Agency Will Support Micro-enterprises and Vendors This Year

BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) aims to support 10,000 micro-enterprises and vendors in communities and fresh markets nationwide in adopting technological solutions this year, to improve their capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DEPA president Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin said this project has been carried out for three years, helping 234 communities so far. The program offers a broad range of digital solutions for small enterprises, with technologies developed by local startups. These solutions include queuing systems, enterprise resource planning, point of sale systems and digital payments.

He said the solutions are provided free during the trial period while, over the long term, a small usage fee is proposed. The agency targeted another 10,000 micro-enterprises to receive support by the end of this year, while 65,000 are slated for next year.

Mr. Nuttapon explained that the move is part of a measure to provide all people in the grassroots economy greater access to digital technologies and solutions, in line with the government’s digital transformation policy. Under the project, 5,492 small and medium-sized enterprises and shops in communities have adopted digital tech platforms and solutions, such as e-commerce platforms and point of sale tools.