President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged business to invest in Ukrainian youth, Ukrainian start-ups, SMEs, as it is people who give Ukraine a competitive edge.
“Today, I want to focus on what makes Ukraine more attractive than other countries. Ukrainians. Their talents, skills, their intelligence, their mind. It seems to me that it is our greatest treasure, and it has always been that way. But we underestimated it,” the Head of State said during a speech at the Kyiv International Economic Forum.
He recalled that it was Ukrainians who provided humanity with the first helicopter, rocket engine and artificial satellite, made prototypes of X-ray and CD, invented a zip code, electric tram technology, built the world's largest aircraft, created PayPal and WhatsApp services.
“It is people who are our greatest capital. This is a “made in Ukraine” that we are proud of and which gives us a competitive edge,” the Head of State emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that today's global economy was actually a talent economy, and economic growth in the world was mainly driven by innovation.
“Ukrainians are ready to become pioneers, Ukrainians are able to look to the future and understand the needs of tomorrow. Ukrainians are very talented, hardworking, creative and courageous. And that is exactly what your investment needs. So invest in people. Invest in our youth. Invest in Ukrainian start-ups, SMEs, every Ukrainian,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed, addressing the participants of the forum.