Caribbean News
400 Small Entrepreneurs in St. James to Benefit from $10 Million
Montego Bay, June 29, 2019 – Jamaica – The St. James Municipal Corporation has doubled its support to small entrepreneurs in the parish under the Local Economic Development (LED) Programme.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Corporation, Gerald Lee, said that $10 million is being spent this fiscal year to assist some 400 persons to push-start business operations.
Approximately $5 million was allocated under the programme during the last fiscal year, which benefited 200 entrepreneurs.
Mr. Lee was speaking to JIS News at the 2019 LED programme launch and training session for grantees at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre on Thursday (June 27). He noted that the LED programme, which is an initiative under local government reform, seeks to engage persons in economic activity that can allow them to improve their livelihood and take care of their families, and ultimately empower communities.
Mr. Lee told JIS News that persons will be provided with grants of up to $50,000 each to develop a small business and they will be monitored to ensure that the ventures are sustained.
“We have a local economic development officer, who monitors the programme and ensures that it is workable and that the persons who are making applications for these grants really qualify. If they are going to go into chicken rearing, we ensure that they provide the infrastructure and then we provide them with the working capital to start the business,” he said.
Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the St. James Municipal Corporation, Councillor Homer Davis, encouraged the beneficiaries to commit to growing their businesses through profit retention.
“If we can empower our people, then you will realise your dreams of taking care of yourself and taking care of your children… . This initiative is one for you because we want to see an improvement in your living standard. So… I want you to grab it with both hands,” he said.
During the session, the beneficiaries were educated on how to plan for business success, budgeting, profitability and the benefits of developing business partnerships.
The LED programme, being implemented by the Local Government and Community Development Ministry, aims to establish economic activities/enterprises in communities across Jamaica; support small and micro enterprises enabling them to attain financial viability and/or expand their businesses; and positively impact the gross domestic product (GDP).
Under the programme, local authorities are expected, in collaboration with local stakeholders and relevant national external partners, to formulate and execute appropriate strategies and programmes that can impact job creation and poverty reduction.
Contact: Nickieta Sterling
Release: JIS
Photos by Nickieta Sterling.
Header: Beneficiaries of the St. James Municipal Corporation’s Local Economic Development (LED) Programme, listen attentively during a training session at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre in St. James, Thursday (June 27).
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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