The Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs and the Fond St. Jacques Development Committee, recently held an informative site visit for students to the Fond St. Jacques Agro-processing Facility.
The activity was held on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, and aimed to sensitize the twenty-two Grade 6 students from Fond St. Jacques Primary School about the importance of small businesses to Saint Lucia’s economy. The hosting of the activity was also timely as it was held a day before the observance of MSME Day on Thursday, June 27.
During the tour, students saw firsthand the processes involved in producing green fig flour, granola, and fruit popsicles. They also assisted the female agro-processors from Rainforest Foods and Jacq-Co Valley Products Ltd. to create some of the products, following which students were given samples of granola and fruit popsicles. They also received important advice from the agro-processors and organizers about the importance of becoming entrepreneurs.
Mr. Johnathan Allain, Director of Small Business Development Centre in the Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, said this year’s International MSME Day held particular significance for the Small Business Development Centre, and the wider Ministry of Commerce.
“We sought to heighten public awareness of the impact of local Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to our economy,” Allain said. “As such, we deployed a grassroots approach to public sensitization, including the youth at the core of our efforts and activities held in observance of the day. As future leaders, decision-makers, and hopefully entrepreneurs, our youth need more first-hand exposure to commerce and industry and we were happy to facilitate this medium. Since they are our torchbearers, we felt it necessary to provide them with valuable, practical insights into the inner workings of an agro-processing plant.”
Mr. Alvinaus Simon, Business Development Officer in the Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, said the activity was a component of the Community Business Revitalization Project which was launched in August 2023. Based on conversations with people from the community, he said there was a need to get students better acquainted with the businesses in the community.
“There’s a plan moving forward for the hosting of a Summer Camp by the Fond St. Jacques Development Committee, where students will be trained as to how they go about registering their businesses,” Simon said. “So we saw the importance of providing some support to the students during MSME Week.”
Under the Community Business Revitalization Project, MSMEs in four communities will benefit in specific areas aimed at strengthening their capacity, including product design, marketing, and branding and promotion. The project will target MSMEs in Dennery, Soufriere, Laborie, and Castries (with a concentration on Babonneau), and promises to equip local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with the competitive edge they need to become not only more profitable, but also resilient. Fond St. Jacques is the first community where the project has been rolled out.
Simon said the projects under the Community Business Revitalization Project have been progressing smoothly, noting that many gains have been made so far in Fond St. Jacques, where the project should be wrapping up shortly before being rolled out in the second community.
“We have done quite a bit in Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques, and have developed quite a good relationship with the community,” said Simon. “We’re currently in the final phase of the project under the Community Business Revitalization Project, which is, more or less, the training component. We’ve identified seed mentors in the Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques basin who are now being taught the core components of business development so they can pass on the knowledge and experiences to the small business owners in the community.”
Meanwhile, Mrs. Sandra Prospere, President of the Fond St. Jacques Development Committee, said the Committee was elated to partner with the Small Business Development Centre and Taiwan Technical Mission as the collaboration provided an invaluable educational experience for the students and highlighted the significance of supporting local enterprises.
She said the students were inspired to consider entrepreneurship as a future path because of the experience. She added the Committee hopes to continue such activities not only with the agro-processing centre, but also by involving other small businesses in the community.
“We are extremely happy that we have chosen the theme ‘Creating Young Entrepreneurs’ for this year’s Summer Camp,” Prospere said. “The MSME Day activity and the Summer Camp will serve as catalysts in motivating young people of Fond St. Jacques to start developing and working towards their business ideas. This initiative, we believe, will foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation among our youth, preparing them to contribute meaningfully to the local economy and improving livelihoods.”