St Elizabeth gets chance to earn up to $3m in grants

MSME Business Roadshow gets to STETHS on March 6

Entrepreneurs in south-western Jamaica have a chance to earn a cash grant of up to $400K from the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce’s (MIIC) Business Pitch Competition, slated for Thursday, March 6 during the MSME Business Roadshow in Santa Cruz at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School.

Ten entrepreneurs will be chosen as winners of two competitions – five in the Micro Business Pitch and five in the Small Business Pitch – that have prize monies of $200,000 and $400,000 respectively in each category; a total of $3M.

The MSME Business Roadshow in St Elizabeth follows on the successful stagings at the Twickenham Park Church of the Open Bible in St. Catherine on January 16 and Juici Empowerment Park in Clarendon on February 20, held in conjunction with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

“The impact of the MIIC MSME Business Roadshow is undeniable. We are distributing well-needed funding to entrepreneurs to expand their capabilities and their capacities,” explained Sancia Bennett Templer, Permanent Secretary at the MIIC. “The Ministry has several reports from pitch winners in Phase One, which detail the direct positive impacts of the grants on their businesses. The MIIC has already distributed 20 grants totalling six million dollars in Phase Two and are enthused with all that these entrepreneurs are trying to accomplish for their businesses.”

Among the event’s sponsors are the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) through its Community Renewal Programme (CRP); MasterCard; HEART/NSTA Trust; Development Bank of Jamaica; Hi-Pro; Jamalco; Pepsi; and ATL Automotive Group.

The MSME Business Roadshow continues MIIC’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and business growth across Jamaica. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to register early to secure their spot by visiting roadshow.miic.gov.jm.

Attendees will have access to 19 agencies under the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, along with support from other government entities, financial institutions, and corporate sponsors. The one-stop-gateway will also feature the MSME Expo Village, Tech Corner, and knowledge-sharing sessions with topics such as ‘Set the Link – Exploring strategies to boost MSME engagement with large businesses’ and ‘Access to Affordable Financing: Attracting, Maintaining & Making that Bang for the Buck’.

Emphasising the wealth of opportunities available, Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at MIIC, Keriece Harris, is encouraging MSMEs to attend and take full advantage of the information, services, and products on offer.

“MSMEs in and around St Elizabeth, we’re inviting you to register for the MIIC’s MSME Business Roadshow on Thursday, March 6 at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School in Santa Cruz. So come on out, meet with government agencies and our private sector partners who are ready to support you and your business to start, innovate, grow and export. Plus, they’re going to be many prizes and surprises. We want to see you!”

Source: MIIC