Small Business Development Centres to be established in Dominica

Paul said small businesses are important for economic growth
Paul said small businesses are important for economic growth

Government is seeking to drive the development of micro, small and medium enterprises in Dominica.

In the light of this, the Ministry of Commerce, Enterprise and Small Business Development is collaborating with the Organization of the American States, US State Department, Caribbean Export Development Agency and the University of Texas in San Antonia (UTSA) to establish Small Business Development Centres (SBDCs) on the island.

Services provided by the SBDCs include: business plan development, manufacturing assistance, financial packaging and lending assistance, market research help, disaster recovery assistance and healthcare guidance.

Minister for Commerce, Enterprise and Small Business Development, Roselyn Paul who was addressing a press launch of the initiative on Friday said the government of Dominica recognizes the importance of small and micro-enterprises to the social and economic development of the country.

“The micro and small business sector has proven itself in terms of its continued contribution to national development but indeed has further potential to create and expand employment opportunities to development entrepreneurial skills, enhance market opportunities and encourage export promotion and import substitution,” she stated.

She noted that the SBDCs have the potential to help the business community to be more efficient effective and export ready and to establish trade linkages.

“SBDCs in Dominica can also be perceived to be the valuable catalyst, spreading the culture of enterprise and promotion of a business oriented society,” Paul explained.

Meanwhile representative of the OAS, Renee Penco said the project is also being implemented in Jamaica, Barbados, St Lucia and Belize.

“The OAS is very committed and as part of its mandate will ensure that this development takes place throughout the Caribbean and the other territories that we are also engaged with in terms of economic development,” she stated.

She said that over the past week, “we have seen a lot of strides being made in terms of reinvigoration of this project here in Dominica.”

“We started in 2012 and we have gone through certain processes, but now we are actually seeing the nucleus of this project forming together,” she noted. “The hope is at the end of it all we will be able to lay the necessary ground with the necessary framework…”

UTSA’s representative Albert Salgado also added voice to the projecting saying, “We spent a long week sharing the model of best practices, we even worked up some strategies on how to move forward and that was very encouraging. The end results is what we are chasing: tax revenue for our economy, create jobs, start new businesses and quite frankly let’s export our products to the rest of the western hemisphere.”

The launch of the initiative took place the National Development Foundation office in Roseau.

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21 Comments

  1. DRASTIC
    March 30, 2015

    Idea sounds good, but just listen to the experiences of the people who tried. One gentleman who tried something a few years back said that dealing with the Government departments is like “fighting the DEVI L in his own territory”. Wish the initiative success.

  2. The Theater
    March 29, 2015

    Enough of that nonsense miss Paul! All you done win the election already and therefore all you should have a serious vision to develop this country. You and Skerrit DLP look confused and behave lost man. In Castle Bruce Drigi sees agriculture as the way forward; Tongue man sees tourism as the way to go you see small business as the way to go, while Skerrit tells Malaysians that all of all you are wrong and Dominica way out is through offshore banking. Bye the way miss Paul, just before the elections many persons were given large sums of money to start or develop new businesses. Since you are the minister responsible can you give us an update? Also, can you give us the names of persons that received money, how much they got, and what business are they involved in? Thanks madam minister

  3. Norris Prevost
    March 29, 2015

    Roseau Grassroots Small Business Incubator Petition was rejected by Labour Govt in 2005

    ….;;;
    Thirdly and finally the petitioners allege that the Roseau Improvement Committee (RIC) Inc a non-profit, non-governmental, non-political, community based organization operating in Roseau for over seventeen years and whose main objectives include: “Entrepreneurial Incubation including Information Communication Technology (ICT)” and whose mission is “Poverty eradication, building self esteem, self reliance, healthy, lifestyles and community spirit in Roseau, through entrepreneurial development, sport, cultural education and environmental activities”. That RIC Inc can play a central role in a collaborative initiative with government and other stakeholders to bring about the success and optimize the benefits of this Incubator to youth , women and the unemployed.

    Madame Speaker under the standing order 20(4) I move that the Roseau Health Centre Premises Trust Petition be read, printed…

  4. Norris Prevost
    March 29, 2015

    Roseau Grasroots Small Business Incubator Petition contd

    Secondly, the petitioners further allege that the creation of the Roseau Grass Roots Business Incubator which is an organization equipped with the expertise, physical location and other resources, and which takes in persons and firms with business ideas or ongoing small and medium size enterprises (SME’s) for a period of three to five years, provides them with the support in various areas such as product design, marketing,
    ICT, Financial Management and Accounting, human resource development, supervision, management, and other entrepreneurial skills at low, often subsidized costs, and at the end of the incubation period graduates them into competitive sustainable enterprises- that the creation of such an organization at the Old Roseau Health Centre – a property left in Trust by Mr. W.S. Dawbiney for the education and development of youth- would create self employment and jobs in traditional areas for Artists, Craftsmen and…

  5. Norris Prevost
    March 29, 2015

    Roseau Grassroots Small business Incubator petition contd
    Since Submitting this Petition to Parliament on December 7th support for the petition continues to pour in and in fact the number of petitioners now exceeds one thousand five hundred (1500).

    Material Allegations
    The petitioners allege three things, firstly, that there is a need of “creating employment particularly for the youth, women, the poor and disenfranchised of Dominica, especially those residents in the City of Roseau and Environs”.

  6. Norris Prevost
    March 29, 2015

    Key Cultural Leaders of the calypso and Steel Band Associations, leading Sportsmen and women, Artists, Musicians, Hoteliers including some members of the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA), leading farmers and Members of Staff of the Dominica Banana Producers Ltd, leading members of the Private Sector, leading members of the Rastafarian Community, Street Vendors, leading NGO Members, Public Servants, Leading Media Personalities, Young
    ICT Engineers, and other ICT Specialists, leading Accounting and Auditing Professionals, Doctors, Architects, Bankers, large and Small Businessmen, including Car-washers, truckers, Shoe Makers, Fashion Designers, Hairdressers, Tour Guides, Taxi Operators, Travel Agents, Shop Keepers, Community Workers, the largest percentage of whom are unemployed women and youth.

  7. Norris Prevost
    March 29, 2015

    Presentation of Roseau Health Centre Premises Trust Petition
    Presented by: Hon. Morris Prevost Parliamentary Representative for Roseau Central
    On Behalf of: The Board Members of The Roseau Improvement Committee (RIC) Inc., residents and stakeholders of the
    City of Roseau
    To The House of Assembly in Parliament, Commonwealth of Dominica
    2nd Meeting of the First Session of the Seventh Parliament
    to be held at the House of Assembly, Victoria St. Roseau
    Monday 19th December 2005 at 10am

    Madame Speaker: In keeping with standing order 20, section (3) and (4) and standing order 69 (1) and (3), I hereby present to this Honorable House , The Roseau Health Centre Premises Trust Petition on behalf of one thousand three hundreds and five petitioners from Roseau, and other parts of Dominica, comprising of Youth , and Youth Organization of the National Youth Council, the Dominica State College, represented by Students and Faculty, Key Cultural Leaders of the calypso and Steel Band…

  8. Referee
    March 29, 2015

    In a country that was serious about promoting domestic development of domestic resources, this would be a huge story deserving of fanfare to ensure it gets all the attention it rightly deserves.
    But the story was published over the week end when few seem to notice and fewer still will contemplate what a successful initiative, such as described in this story, could do to jump start grassroots development in a micro economy.
    It ought not to go unnoticed that as this micro development initiative is announced, the prime minister and his “high level” entourage is touring Asia in a quest for business opportunities for the island.
    Could it be that what they went looking for in Asia lies locally before their very eyes and that the Small Business Development Centers hold greater promise to deliver development than all this fanfare about offshore banking Mr.Skerrit is trumpeting in Asia?
    At the very least, Mr. Skerrit should have been present to roll out the SBDC intiative.

  9. jury
    March 29, 2015

    What” small business” does she have in mind??What markets does she have in mind? What kind of security does she have in mind for the loans to de small businesses? What “small business factory shells” does she have in mind? Which constituencies does she have in mind ?

  10. for the few
    March 28, 2015

    this is a way to weed out people they think not voting for the labour party

  11. Tampa
    March 28, 2015

    How many national small business institutions do we need in Dominica? We have NDFD, The Small Business Unit at the Financial Centre and a third one that I cant recall its name. Now on top of this we now have this new unit. Can someone explain the rationale behind so much duplicity? We seem to going around in circles without a clear strategy as to how to grow the small business sector. Adding one more institution will not solve the problem.

    • Truth
      March 30, 2015

      Please do your research properly and know what is happening in your country before you post this gibberish on DNO.

  12. Thorbjørn Jagland
    March 28, 2015

    When will you people STOP THE COMMUNISM. Don’t u see it is making Dominica poorer. :mrgreen:

  13. Pedro
    March 28, 2015

    The most productive,traditional small business in Dominica has been farming. The Government has totally destroyed the agricultural industry and therefore destroyed the potential for the development of small business in Dominica.

    • Francisco Telemaque
      March 28, 2015

      It is foolish for anybody to blame Skerrit’s government, or any other government of destroying the Agricultural Industry. I blame Skerrit for all of Dominica’s woe, nevertheless, I would have to be a fool to hold him responsible for the situation right now.

      Let us review the scientific and Biblical principle of farming. In God words the principle of farming is simply, this,when a potion of land is cultivated for a matter of seven years it must be rested for seven years before it can be cultivated again. The reason is that within seven years of cultivation, the plants used up all of the nutrients in the soil, and it matters not what amount of fertilizer one utilizes, the land yells very little.

      All of the agricultural land in Dominica has been under cultivation for more seventy years, in order for the land to become productive again means rest for seventy years: 70/7 = 10, so every portion need about ten years rest in order to be productive again, So, Skerrit vision of…

      • Francisco Telemaque
        March 29, 2015

        So, Skerrit vision of… moving away from the agricultural age into the industrial age is the way to go. Some people are stock in the past. Figure this: A man lay on his deathbed; he slowly turned to a friend who had come to console him and said, “don’t pity me now, I died 20 years ago!”

        The banana industry died more then twenty years ago, and there is nothing that can be done to return it to its glory days. As soon as some open their mouth they mention loan, loan cannot prevent the evitable, or inevitable for that matter.

        Too many people in Dominica lose their equilibrium, or their sense of balance as the years advanced upon them, they live in the past, and ignore the present, and the future, anybody who believes that agriculture shall be the savior of our country are already dead. If we review all of the islands of the ,re developed islands of the region, not one depends on an agricultural based economy.

  14. Rockrr
    March 28, 2015

    Stupes. Why the gov dont put money there for people to get loan at at least 2 % interest? So people can build there damn homes. Duty free on buiding materials ? Stupes! The same money going back into the economy and nobs will be created. These guys are just some speacial types or idiots or is iether they just plain out wicked!

  15. Martin Registe
    March 27, 2015

    I believe the idea of developing business in Dominica is a good one, however the complete structure of the way you are trying to promote business is frankly speaking very discouraging and therefore loses its intended purpose.
    For one thing as far as I know there is no standard for customs charges. Customs charges you whatever they feel like. I have never encountered any business with such an idiotic way of doing business.
    Customs should have a set percentage of charges on everything so that when I order or before I order anything I would know how much to expect to pay. Is it just me? If there is anyone else experiencing this please speak out.
    If there is such a price charging list available please make me a beneficiary of one.

  16. skerit
    March 27, 2015

    i started small business but stopped because ordering the products i needed caused me to operate at a loss. customs charged me up to 90% on some items. 47% on mostly everything else. its very discouraging. went to the lady responsible for duty free and she told me i need at least 15 workers in order to qualify for duty free once a year.

    so much for small business. it went to the gutter until i can figure out something that does not include ordering

    • Yapp
      March 28, 2015

      I tried the same thing started a small business on my own , then went to FDFD for a loan but could manage , then i went to the government the Small Business department for assistance and they keep telling a whole set of stories till i had to give up and it been like two years now i a waiting on the assistance from government Small Business . So i really hope this one is set up much better ,

      • Peter Potter
        March 28, 2015

        You probably a supporter of the wrong political party. Things in Dominica just are not equal. It can not be that a government gives the best jobs to its supporters, help with set up of business only to supporter, duty free concessions only to supporters…

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