Samuda Pledges Govt. Support to Small Business Sector

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Karl Samuda, has pledged the Government’s support in promoting the continued growth and development of the small business and productive enterprises.
Speaking at the Prime Minister’s Town Hall meeting at the Portmore HEART Academy, in St. Catherine, on May 26, Mr. Samuda said it is the Government’s intention to expand the involvement of Jamaicans in small businesses and promote the sector from one end of the island to the next.
“What we are going to do is empower the talented in our country and identify skilled persons in the inner city and deep rural areas. For too long these people have not been given an opportunity to get access to capital, in order to maximise their potential through their own efforts,” the Minister said.
To aid the process, he noted that the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) will be providing technical assistance and financing to allow these individuals to start or grow their businesses.
“It is our intention to enable and empower these young and budding entrepreneurs by giving them training in the basic rudiments of doing business, so that they can clearly understand the difference between sales and profit and how to turn a business,” the Minister explained.
He added that persons will be taught how to prepare a business plan and to identify and market products for local and international consumers.
“We must begin to build a basis on which we can compete internationally and that requires a lot of competence. We must be consistent, we must be well priced, we must produce in quantities that are consistent and are able to be relied upon,” Mr. Samuda stressed.
The Minister urged small business interests to capitalise on the existing opportunities that are geared towards growing and improving the sector.