Koryukivka Mayor: "It's Important to Know Which Way You Go"

Koryukivka Mayor Ihor Matyukha (standing) speaks at the International Conference on Local Economic Development Toolkits, organized by the USAID LED project, the Kyiv Economic Institute, and the Michigan State University on March 3-4, 2008, in Kyiv. Sitting to the right of him is independent consultant Valeriy Kokot, who guided the strategic planning process in Koryukivka on behalf of the LED project (photo from the LED project's files) Koryukivka, Chernihiv Oblast - Koryukivka is a small town of nearly 13,500 residents in Chernihiv Oblast.  It is the home of the Koryukivka Technical Paper Factory, a public corporation that claims to be Europe's largest wallpaper manufacturer.  According to Koryukivka Mayor Ihor Matyukha, the factory has always helped the town in some way or other.  This public-private collaboration has much intensified since September 2007, when the town adopted its Economic Development Strategic Plan drafted with assistance from the USAID LED project. Since last September, the factory has sponsored completion of a gas service installation project, and now natural gas is supplied to 95 percent of the town's residents.  It has financed development and upgrade of the water, wastewater and street lighting systems; purchased a new garbage truck and 20 European-style waste containers for the town; paid for design engineering for a new landfill to be located further from the town than the existing one.  All of those issues were first identified in the Strategic Plan. "We cannot do everything at once, but it's important to start and know which way you go," says Mr.  Matyukha. He described relationships between the town and the factory as "somewhat chaotic," before the strategy was adopted.  "When the plan appeared, and the factory saw our serious intentions, where we want to go, we began working more closely on more serious projects," the mayor said. Nina Yakovych, factory director general, explained this intensified collaboration as follows: "The strategic plan allowed us to see specific prospects for development and the end results for the town." The town received over UAH 1 million (about $200,000) in assistance to implement development projects from its main sponsor in 2007 alone.  Ms.  Yakovych says the company will continue supporting the town’s efforts in implementation of the Strategic Plan. As a resident of Koryukivka, the general director says that the changes underway are first and foremost visible in the town’s tidiness. It is worth noting that the factory also contributes to the economic development of Koryukivka through its business activities as well.  According to Ms.  Yakovych, over the last four years the enterprise has invested more than $25 million into equipment upgrade and purchase of new production lines, having created about 120 new jobs. The enhanced collaboration between the town and the company is not the only benefit brought by the strategic plan and planning process.  The mayor admits that after it set about collecting basic data for carrying out the planning process, the town discovered how little it had known about community assets and dynamics.  The data they collected was incorporated into two reports, a Community Profile and a report on private business views called a Business Attitude Survey, which can now be used to show where the town stands in terms of economic assets and potential.  As the mayor said, "Now, when investors come to us and ask for information, they can see what our town has to offer, and where its potential lays." Mr.  Matyukha says that the favorable opinion of the town expressed in the Business Attitude Survey tipped the scale in favor of Koryukivka for an investor from western Ukraine who decided to build a contemporary vehicle service station in Koryukivka.  The station is currently being constructed, and in addition to improved services to Koryukivka vehicle owners, it will also create 10 new jobs for the community. Moreover, during work on the Community Profile idle land plots suitable for residential development were discovered, which had been overlooked earlier.  Presently, the town is in negotiation with investors from Kyiv on housing construction on these plots.   LED project has lent a hand to 53 Ukrainian cities in creation of their economic development strategies.  In all of these cities the Strategic Plans have been approved by local Radas, and in 21 more cities the strategic planning process is in progress.

<< Back to the list of success stories