Mobile Business Clinic Stops in Lucea

Operators of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Hanover will benefit from business development support services, when the Jamaica Business Development Corporation’s (JBDC) Mobile Business Clinic stops in the parish later this month.

The free business clinic will be held at the Lucea Parish Church Hall from February 24 to 25, and will cater to the needs of business owners in and around the parish.

In addition to business screening and consultation, entrepreneurs will get an opportunity to engage industry experts, register new and existing businesses and identify opportunities in marketing, tax compliance and other areas.

The activity is part of the JBDC’s three-year islandwide Mobile Business Clinic Initiative (MBCI), under the theme: ‘Strengthening the Capacity of Jamaican MSMEs’ and involves decentralisation of business development services to reach a wider group of MSMEs in new and existing industries.

The clinics are being held in major town centres and remote communities across Jamaica, tackling and addressing cross-cutting issues that affect business development and capacity readiness for MSMEs.

The mobile office unit is also offering services provided by Government agencies such as Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the Consumer Affairs Commission, Bureau of Standards Jamaica, and Companies Office of Jamaica.

These include: business planning and advice; marketing and export promotion information; capacity development; networking and linkages opportunities; business technology solutions, and product assessment.

Speaking with JIS News, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JBDC, Valerie Veira, said that surveys have been done across the island to identify the gaps and needs “that could be preventing our MSMEs from becoming a robust participant in the whole process of the growth agenda, and coming out of that is the creation of this initiative.”

She noted that the needs assessment for the locations to be visited is quite crucial as each comes with various demands and challenges.

The MBCI is being spearheaded by the JBDC through the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, in association with NCB, Fidelity Motors Ltd., Columbus Business Solutions and various public sector departments.

Mobile Business Clinics have already been held in Montego Bay and Savanna-la-Mar with some 570 entrepreneurs benefiting from the initiative.