Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Ian Douglas says his ministry has put together a team which is expected to leave Dominica next week in an effort to expand the island’s market reach.
Douglas made the announcement while addressing Dominica’s Largest Business-to-Business forum held at the Goodwill Parish Hall on Wednesday.
The two-day Business to Business Forum organized by the Ministry of Tourism, International Transport and Maritime Initiatives, is meant to bring services and all financial support institutions and organizations in one centralized location, to address various challenges which Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) face on a day-to-day basis in terms of their operations.
“We have put together a team who will be leaving Dominica and going out to the various islands as soon as next week to speak to our various partners in our source markets, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua, St Maarten, St Thomas, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, as far as Barbados and further afield so that we can expand our existing markets,” Douglas said. “Our markets in the United states and in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom because we believe that we have products of this standard that can be placed in those markets and hold our own and compete, so the team is going to be going out to expand our market reach.”
According to the minister, as mentioned in the budget, government is going along with the establishment of trade depots in some of the neighbouring islands in order to have a presence in those markets to solidify the country’s existing trade links within the region and to grow our market share.
“As we move forward to bring this into operation, we will work closely with you to devise ways where even your small businesses can benefit from this initiative and grow and become more successful ,” he stated.
Douglas says he believes these measures demonstrate that the government understands the major contribution of the micro, small and medium enterprises to the Dominican economy, to bring in economic opportunities, remain steady and continue to grow.
He is also of the view that the forum will create the opportunity to share information, network with each other and identify new opportunities to grow their businesses.
“At the end of this Business-to-Business symposium, you are expected to emerge having established valuable contacts and receive new impetus to drive your small and medium enterprises forward in our dynamic business environment,” Douglas said.
He went on to say that it is better to purchase local, fresh produce made by Dominica’s local entrepreneurs and local agro processors, pointing out that the onus is on citizens “to consume what we process and what we grow and what we manufacture if we are to really take the MSME’s to the next level.”
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, International Transport and Maritime Initiatives, Lisa Valmond said a forum of this magnitude is needed as the country strengthens public and private sector partnerships for the augmentation of business operating standards and to improve our ease of doing business.
She said the objectives of the Business-to-Business program are, therefore, “to strengthen forward and backward linkages, to promote networking as a currency to increase income generation, to create formalize atmosphere for annual information sharing, to provide a platform for small businesses to showcase their products and services to markets and investors and to provide a platform for markets and investors to learn about new locally made products.”
May I ask, who are the members of this illustrious ‘trade team’?
It’s likely to be the same lot that is always invited to participate in these state financed jollys at the behest of the CM. He finds it very easy to spend money that doesn’t belong to him.
blablablablablablabla.
“We have put together a team who will be leaving Dominica and going out to the various islands as soon as next week to speak to our various partners in our source markets, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua, St Maarten, St Thomas, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, as far as Barbados and further afield so that we can expand our existing markets,” Douglas said.
I honestly do not want to laugh. Dominica you know that you are doomed under these jacks and donkeys just braying away hot air. Since when did marketing Dominica to Barbados become, “as far as Barbados”? Dominica, I feel sorry for you! This is the vision of our Minister of Trade, “as far as Barbados”! lol
Ian Lastdog; you can sit there with your bulging Pop-eye pretending you all are talking anything that remotely make sense; which is all a waste of time!
Lastdog; you and all of Dominica does not have anything to trade!
Let me remind you; not too long ago at the expo in Canada, we saw Dominicans sitting displaying a series of so called Dominica products; I suggested then there would be no takers; you all would not receive a single order; which I am sure to this day no one in Canada ordered a single pound of anything you had on display.
Wherever your trade team travels, its just another gift to solicit votes, more freebies to your red devils supporters. People are not interesting in dashing, Tanya, green bananas, coconut, and pepper water.
In reality Dominica does not have anything to trade, in North America, nor Europe; all of the islands South of Dominica have the same thing produced in Dominica. What you’ve got left?
Antigua, St. Martin, St. Kitts Nevis?
Suckers!
This is a lone overdue initiative, and i am delighted that this project is coming on stream. I wish all the businesses small and great all the success in such rebirth. Dominica -lets hope this will help calm some of our raging storms.
What is overdue?
I don’t know if you have background, in business, I don’t know if you have any experience in sales! I was once a pharmaceutical salesman and a salesman in general and experience as a tariff clerk; while I worked for brief period for O. D Brisbane on the island of Antigua.
Brisbane represented Ash Laboratories, an American company, I don’t know if they are still in business. Nevertheless, where it pertains to selling of products the idea is not putting on a show talking crap about ( trade team to travel overseas ): travel to where overseas with what?
The rubbish these people have?
Companies as I mentioned, would send a sales-rep to Antigua, and even if Brisbane was the agent, the American sales-rep and I would go into every pharmacy on the island, including one owned by the Late Joseph Laurent of Grand Bay, introduced him to new and existing products, and hope for an order.
when we were finished in Antigua we would travel to Montserrat:
Con
Brisbane also was agent for Company’s in Trinidad, Barbados, Diamond and Ruwaca paper products out of Canada. The idea is to have traveling salesmen and women to go into individual business places and introduce them to whatever products one has for sale; and get them to buy.
If this thing about trade team travel sale could become a reality, they should have generated billions in sale when they displaying their rubbish in Canada months ago.
They have nothing to show for the same labor party sponsorship of the show.
They did not get a single order. Now there is a street in Toronto “Dawes” on that street every agricultural product found in Dominica are sold there; if a Dominica salesman went to an individual owner and get them to buy that could become a sustaining market, then again when you sell you have to ship, Dominica does not have such facilities!
Hahahahahahahahahah!
Boy the infinitive you talking about is simply Roosevelt Ian Last-Dog propaganda of fart!
“Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Ian Douglas says his ministry has put together a team which is expected to leave Dominica next week in an effort to expand the island’s market reach.” Hmmmmm
They can no longer fool the people with airport talk, so now as Ibo France remarkably indicated “For the past twenty two (22) years, under the tenure of the DLP and Roosevelt, exports have taken some recasting body blows from this amateurish administration.” And thus, trade talk is in the air, so what’s next?
Calling elections.
But! It sure looks like Dennis Byron delivered a body blow that really did a number on them!!!
give us a list of products dat Dominica going to trade with.
All you going to do huckstering in Guadeloupe and St Marteen?
Boss you been trade minister for ever……..listen to yourself tired, sorry, uninspiring, empty!!!!!!!
Now let us match dat to the new thrust for agriculture all you talk of.
Nobody in your way boss……..and you have nothing inspiring to say to us.
Nothing significant has ever come from you and de ministry you lead over de past 20 years………go figure!
give it up…….before it give up on you
What for exactly? Dominica has nothing to trade apart from passports. So why go abroad, the gangsters always came to you and no doubt they will continue to do so. Other normal people are not interested in our rotten passport anymore.
I agree with you. The members of this evil enterprise love plenty of publicity. This is just one such one political stunt to be build the unsuspecting.
Everything this depraved dictatorship does is carefully planned to receive maximum, favourable exposure.
They have deceived the nation on their promises of new universities to replace ROSS; imminent geothermal after the 2019 general elections; the Dennis Byrne’s electoral reforms; watch for the exit of the ‘First Family’ from the palatial mansion.
My conclusion is that this regime has a depraved disregard for truth.
We hear of trips to increase trade and production. These people must be blind dump >Let us look at agriculture in Dominica where farmers go begging to get their products sold only to be told not this week then next week the answer is call me at six then call to tomorrow then i can only take one hundred pounds from you. Then you go to the market in roseau or portsmouth where everyone is selling the same products all on the end of being thrown away, I have a story to tell Eian . His grand father told a group of young men from Wesley ”AGRICULTURE IS THE ONLY WAY BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER BE MAKING BYCLICLES IN DOMINICA. now his DLP has given that truth a wake and a funeral replaced by drugs and poverty
And add the sale of Dominica passports to that!
After he and that damn corrupted crook caused Ross University School of Medicine to leave Dominica after operating in Dominica for forty years, employing so many of our people.
That ignoramus boy, told the people in Portsmouth, because Ross left and they could not get their apartments rented, he that damn pop-eye was going to sue Ross in order to compensate them them for lose of rent, and pay for properties the bank will foreclose on and some idiots believe his crap!
Robert B Douglas, and his brother, before Rosie, and this damn big eye are the scums of the earth responsible for the poverty which overwhelm Dominica, and there is no escaping this poverty, as long as there in a Roosevelt Skerrit and a labor party lulling over Dominica.
Their father had no damn ambition, went to Caruso, returned buy some land, and a truck owned a run-shop, barley; read, playing rich; that is why he could never get into the legislator, they reject him.
What we are seeing featured in this Business-to-Business Forum are cottage industries. I say that with no disrespect for the participants or their products.
However, what is conspicuous by their absence, are skilled artisans. We have some of the finest clay in the Caribbean, but no potters. We have an enviable range of locally grown exotic hardwoods, but few skilled cabinetmakers. And the list goes on.
If cottage industries are to progress to small or medium scale manufacturing, we need highly skilled inventive mechanical engineers, but in Dominica they are virtually none existent.
In other words, there is a lot of ground work to do before we attempt to attract the regional market.
“We have put together a team who will be leaving Dominica and going out to the various islands as soon as next week to speak to our various partners in our source markets….”
The effectiveness of this “team” depends heavily of the proven competencies of individual team members. Who or what or which or why is the composition of this “team?” Perhaps the “team” can start locally and expand its market research with an across-the-board customer service orientation, and then have a campaign for people to hold to the fire, the feet of the person or persons who have been promising for the last 18 years to build the international airport. This little overseas jaunt sounds like just another hoopla and a vep on a plane for de boys and dem”.
Trade contributes significantly to the economic vibrancy of any country. For the past twenty two (22) years, under the tenure of the DLP and Roosevelt, exports have taken some recasting body blows from this amateurish administration.
Bananas, and other agricultural and agro processed goods, have been massacred in the last twenty two consecutive years by the DLP and the present tyrannical dictatorial.
Presently, the only thing that we export at a profitable level is our birth-rights, our passports. This event is meant to create a buzz locally and regionally to fool the gullible. That’s it!
Correctio: Auto- correct messing with my comments
recasting × devastating √
dictatorial × dictatorship √
IBO God did not give you this head of knowledge to criticize. You are do intelligent why can’t you go bypass all these Shenanigans and help your country. You would be a great minister of Trade. Think about it. Your knowledge is not coming from Google Search like your friend. Go help your brethren…..
We have a very expensive government and an even more expensive PM, so why would anyone of us be motivated to help this expensive but admittedly useless person. All you wanted dimples, now all you help him instead of always asking for little money and favours.
Eloquently put. The same Ian that did not complete a 50 room Guest House in Portsmouth, is suddenly a trade expert. We’re in some real trouble here.
This overseas trip is a complete waste of state monetary resources. Roosevelt, Ian, Austrie and the other members of this kakistocracy, are eminently qualified in creative self- enrichment.
This CONCOCTION of cartoonist characters has become multi-millionaires from the salary of civil servants. Only corruption can make that possible.