MITEC Fosters Small Business Development

Fostering and developing small and medium-sized enterprises was one of the focus areas for the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce (MITEC) in 2006, while the introduction of the Electronic Transactions Bill was considered a significant development for the commerce sector. 

Small Business Development

            Two pilot projects - the Small Business Incubator Project and the Community-based Production Centres (CPCs) - were introduced to further enhance the development of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

            The overall goal of the Small Business Incubation Project was to facilitate the creation of employment opportunities while the CPCs employed persons from the general community and facilitated       private business and employment creation.

            In keeping with the focus on small business development, the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC), in July, launched the Jamaica Business Information Centre Project, which provided technical expertise and business support for micro, small and medium-sized clients. The $19 million project involved setting up information centres across the island, with the main hub located at the Camp Road headquarters of the JBDC.

            The main objective was to offer business development guidance to entrepreneurs, advice and support they need to build their businesses. The centres would also offer e-business services including e- business information, e-commerce and e-marketing.

            Throughout the year, the JBDC also embarked on a series of activities aimed at equipping entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to benefit from the staging of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, which will be held in Jamaica.