SDC to Establish Two Additional Economic Villages

The Social Development Commission (SDC) will be establishing two additional Economic Villages as part of its ongoing mission to support and empower Local Economic Initiatives (LEIs) across Jamaica.

This will bring the total number of Economic Villages to nine by the end of fiscal year 2025/26.

The new villages will be established in St. Elizabeth and St. Thomas, joining existing hubs in St. Catherine, Portland, St. Mary, St. Ann, Trelawny, St. James, and Manchester.

Director, Local Economic Development at the SDC, Avril Ranger, told JIS News that this reflects the Commission’s commitment to continuous growth and is directly informed by stakeholder feedback gathered through its Local Economic Development Support Programme (LEDSP).

“We used to normally do business fairs; we would enter a community and have an activity and then move on. We had a discussion internal to the SDC and we said we need to have more established spaces where LEIs can go on a continuous basis to promote their products, benefit from sales and engage in networking,” she said, adding that the Economic Village concept later emerged.

Ms. Ranger indicated that each Village is strategically located to align with the unique culture and flow of its parish.

“The idea is that… we can find spaces or hubs that have consistent traffic – people who will stop by, engage with, spend their money and pretty much have our LEIs earning a livelihood on a consistent basis,” she said.

Ms. Ranger further noted that at each Economic Village, LEIs are provided with essential equipment such as tents, tables, chairs and tablecloths.

The Director also informed that with a growing database of participants, not all LEIs can be accommodated at once within the Economic Villages. As such, they are rotated to ensure broad exposure and opportunity.

A total of 390 LEIs are currently being served by the SDC under the LEDSP, a significant increase from the 50 participants recorded at the programme’s inception a decade ago.