Westmoreland Gets Export/Business Information Centre

Micro, small and medium-sized business enterprises in western Jamaica are to benefit from a range of export-related advisory services and developmental tools, that should greatly enhance their performance and profitability.
Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI), in partnership with the Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce, yesterday (February 5), officially opened an Export Centre and Business Information Point (EC/BIP) at the Savanna-La-Mar Civic Centre on Great George Street.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which form the backbone of Jamaica’s economy accounting for as much as 80% of employment, are expected to be empowered by the new EC/BIP satellite centre which brings to 11 the number of such facilities across the country.
Addressing participants at the opening ceremony, President of the JTI, Robert Gregory, said that no country could grow and create wealth and prosperity if these enterprises were not afforded the enabling environment to succeed.
“Today’s launch represents a chance for firms to truly connect with the flow of foreign direct investment into the country, and capitalize on the many new and exciting opportunities that are opening up in the local economy, particularly in the tourism sector,” Mr. Gregory said.
He added that the tourism sector was a vital element in the drive for the creation of and sustained generation of jobs and wealth, and must be regarded as a powerful contributor to the economy.
“With our current hotel room stock approximately 20,000 and counting, and with projections of an additional 10,000 rooms over the next 2-5 years, firms engaged in agricultural production must position themselves to provide a range of goods and services at a fair price and, most importantly, of high quality for all our properties”, the JTI President noted.
He stressed that investors must be assured of world class quality, consistency in supply and competitive pricing, pointing out that Jamaicans must ‘step up and become world class or we are no class at all’.
He urged business leaders in Westmoreland to encourage farmers to produce quality food products; route taxis and bus drivers to provide a quality public transportation; and students to stay in school and gain the academic credentials and training needed to take their places in a globally competitive world.
Export Centres and Business Information Points are two major components of the Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP), a five-year joint initiative, designed to provide an integrated, comprehensive and coherent response to the various challenges that affect Jamaican micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).