AP MSMEs To Get 3-year Free Mentoring
The programme will focus on priority sectors including silk and garments, food processing, jewellery, artificial diamonds, brassware, coir, engineering, handicrafts, and wooden furniture
Visakhapatnam: Small and medium enterprises in Andhra Pradesh will receive free training and personalised mentoring for the next three years under a new partnership between the state government and Walmart Vriddhi.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed at the CII Partnership Summit 2025 in Visakhapatnam through programme partner Ideas to Impact Foundation, aims to empower an additional 100,000 MSMEs by 2028.
The initiative will provide masterclasses and workshops to help enterprises modernise, scale operations, and access domestic and international e-commerce platforms, including Flipkart and Walmart Marketplace.
Minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, Kondapalli Srinivas, said Andhra Pradesh was rapidly emerging as a premier investment destination, supported by good governance and an investor-friendly environment. He highlighted the state’s skilled workforce, vibrant MSME ecosystem, progressive policies, 175 plug-and-play MSME parks, and facilities such as the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, which enable firms to integrate into global value chains.
Jason Fremstad, senior vice-president for supplier development and sourcing at Walmart International, said Andhra Pradesh’s “vibrant entrepreneurial spirit” made it an ideal location for MSME-led growth.
The programme will focus on priority sectors including silk and garments, food processing, jewellery, artificial diamonds, brassware, coir, engineering, handicrafts, and wooden furniture. Training will begin in the Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Krishna districts before expanding across the state.
