Disaster Risk Management training for small and medium businesses deemed a success

Executive Director of Dominica Tours – Destination Management Division of Anchorage Ltd., Yvonne Armour-Hill has commended DAIC and the Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association (DHTA) for helping businesses to have a more strategic approach in strengthening their businesses.

Armour-Hill was speaking at the closing ceremony on Thursday, of a two-day Disaster Risk Reduction Training for small and medium business enterprises.

“Let me commend the DAIC and the DHTA for putting on this training which I think is extremely important,” Armour-Hill said. “Having been in the business in the tourism industry for many years and having dealt with many hurricanes and different natural disasters, it is such an important time and I would really recommend all businesses to pay a lot more attention to the disaster risk reduction processes.”

She said the training helped to identify a number of risks, gaps and more systematic, organized and scientific ways of addressing these issues.

“I was particularly interested in the different processes when we looked at insurance. In terms of the case studies that we shared, which I think was quite insightful, helped you to look at your particular case and see how you could implement different systems and how you could get your team involved…,” the hotelier added. “Something that we’ve always practiced for many years is the value of, the importance of your team members, of the human resources – how to empower them, how to prepare them and how to take care of them as well, so that as a team, you could move forward.”

Meantime, Executive Director of Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC), Lizra Fabian said the training was a success.

“I would really say that it was a success because I represent success as quality as opposed to quantity and the businesses who came here over the past two days, they said that it was a remarkable experience,” Fabien stated.

She said the participants got to understand key concepts that they did not previously think about and to conduct a self-assessment which identified all the gaps that exist in the business and to successfully address them.

Fabien said that the proactive measures learnt at the training will help businesses last as long as possible.

“We realize that our businesses lose every year and the more we lose, the less sustainable we are and if we can take proactive measures to reduce our risks so that we don’t lose human resource, capital and our investment then we can continue our businesses as long as possible,” she explained.

The DAIC official said it was interesting to hear some of the experiences of these businesses and the measures that they employ to reduce such risks.

In keeping with the point made by Armour-Harris, Fabien stated, “We saw that they could look at reducing the risk with strategic initiatives and through support of Sagicor Life by presenting key insurance concepts that our businesses need to understand so that they could have the best and most suitable package to help them to transfer the risk as opposed to accepting the risks. We saw that as critical information.”

The businesses that completed the two-day training were, Dominica Tours – Destination Management Division of Anchorage Ltd., Cyber Box entertainment Inc., DOMLEC, In Malls Ltd – Prevo Cinimall and Benjo’s Seamoss & Agro-Processing Co Ltd.

The training was organized by the DAIC in conjunction with DHTA and Dominica Youth Business Trust (DYBT).