USAID Sustainable Local Development Project
Inter-Municipal Cooperation
Area Partners
NOVI PAZAR CITY
Population: 117,084
Unemployment: 53%
Economic Base: textile, road
construction, trade
Ruling Coalition: SDP, SNP, SNS,
DSS, NS
Mayor: Meho Mahmutovic
TUTIN MUNICIPALITY
Population: 36,054
Unemployment: 59%
Economic Base: furniture
production, trade, agriculture,
forestry
Ruling Coalition: SDA
Mayor: Semsudin Kucevic
SJENICA MUNICIPALITY
Population: 27,970
Unemployment: 47%
Economic Base: agriculture,
textile, food industry
Ruling Coalition: SDA, SDP, DS,
LDP, SPS, URS
Mayor: Hazbo Mujovic
July 2015
Novi Pazar–led Inter-Municipal Cooperation (IMC) Area
The IMC area was formed in July 2011. This year the Sustainable Local Development
Project (the Project) began implementation of the following economic program:
“Novi Pazar: Entrepreneurship that Sells”
Goal: To increase total exports of assisted sectors by 10% by end of June 2015.
The IMC area is traditionally well known for its commercial and entrepreneurial spirit.
The active sectors within the region are textiles, footwear, furniture and husbandry
(dairy, meat), consisting of small and medium-sized firms and farms. In order to
expand, they need to improve their competitiveness through reduction in operational
costs, development of new products and access to new markets.
The Project will apply a sector-wide approach to increase production efficiencies and
improve product portfolios. International business experts will be brought to assist in
marketing, locating demand and investment. Other technical assistance will be directed
to supply-side flaws in the IMC area, including a need for serious workforce
development, linked to business needs.
UP-TO-DATE PROJECT RESULTS
IMC area economic growth activities
 Provided recommendations for expanding the denim sector and attracting investors;
trained local producers on topics ranging from the use of social media in marketing to
jean finishing techniques and environmentally friendly technologies; denim and shoe
producers improved their production, assortment and marketing and participated at
international shoe and denim trade fairs; denim quality control trainings held and
manual published; assisted in opening of a retail store “Jeans factory” in Belgrade, as a
joint venture of three Novi Pazar-based companies
 Project experts trained the Regional Center for Agricultural Development (RCAD)
staff on development and application of laboratory protocols for field sampling of milk
and meat according to international food safety and quality standards. RCAD staff also
learned how to interpret test results and provide customers with recommendations to
improve milk and meat quality
 Local Economic Development (LED) practitioners learned how to present local
potentials and attract Foreign Direct Investments; retain and grow existing businesses;
manage LED; evaluate potentials of brownfields, prioritize and redevelop these sites
 Project assisted Tutin and a local company for agribusiness development to establish
links with investors and buyers at the Biofach Organic Food Fair
 Value Chain Analysis and a Marketing Plan was developed with recommendations on
how to improve dairy production and increase regional competitiveness
 Tutin was assisted to develop and present to investors a public-private partnership
(PPP) action plan for the construction of the Forest fruit and medicinal herb collection,
processing and sale center; a Guide for development of successful PPPs was published;
PPP toolkits were created for local infrastructure development, energy efficiency and
parking services
 In partnership with SEDA, sector brochures published to promote local companies and
attract investors in the textile, furniture, footwear and food industry
 To support workforce development purchased 3D modeling software and plotter for
the Novi Pazar Design and Textile Vocational School
 Four youth teams were awarded business start-up grants (€1,200 each) as part of
Project supported CSO “Group 484” activities