KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica government will host a one-day consultation that is intended to facilitate the revision and crafting of the draft ‘Green Paper’ to ensure that the policy reflects and includes new and emerging trends within the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector.
The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce said that the “National MSME & Entrepreneurship Policy Consultation,” will be held on February 20 and is being supported by several stakeholders.
It said that the consultation will include, but are not limited to, the need for increased digitization and digitalization; inclusion of marginalized groups such as women, youth and persons with disabilities, as well as continued access to finance and emerging trends around the orange, blue and green economies.
Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Aubyn Hill as well as representatives from the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) will make presentations during the day long event at which the Ministry will stage its Business Pitch Competition, where participating MSMEs will have a chance to win up to J$300,000 (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents).
It said eligible entities must be in operation for two years or more, earn J$15 million or less in annual revenue/sales turnover, have five or less employees, and are scalable.
“In addition to the monetary prize, participating entities will have the opportunity to benefit from access to business development support and potential enrolment in the Export Max Programme, among other things,” the ministry added.
