Message 2019. Context. Regional development

Belarusians are increasingly dreaming of a house in a village. But it often remains a dream. After all, wages in the countryside should be the same as those in the capital. There is an opinion that the Minsk Ring Road is a dividing line in our country. Minsk is the center of attraction. The rest of the country is lagging behind. Regional development for any state is at the forefront in economic policy. It demands counterbalance to urbanization, village support, contribution to the general economy.

Only the Minsk and Grodno regions can declare a strong regional economy. During the five-year period, the economy of the capital region grew by a third. And today it is an inaccessible bar for the rest of the territories. The Gomel region and the Brest region have only 3 to 5% growth, the Vitebsk region has added 2%, the Mogilev region went into minus. Such regional stagnation invariably adds problems to the economy, brings division to the society. Obviously, the capital will not pull the country. 

A number of medium-sized cities were identified at the highest level, they should become the benchmark of regional development. 

Orsha has already begun to live according to the laws of the free economic zone that offers a program of incentives for investors and support of enterprises. These measures will add to the dynamics of the once industrial giant. The whole country should become as attractive as Orsha. This is the aim of the President. The main thing is that socio-economic factors should not divide Belarus into parts, and the gap in the level and quality of life cannot be cardinal. For this we need more active solutions.

Successful regions are a win-win way to relieve the capital. An option that also works is the development of satellite cities. But this task is not simple either. The government has been instructed to give financial leverage for the cities surrounding Minsk, to review their growth programs. The development potential is in new businesses, enterprises with a prestigious workplace.