The management and staff of the Ministry of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs would like to congratulate Saint Lucia’s Mr. Johanan Dujon, owner of Algas Organics, for receiving the 2019 Commonwealth Youth Award.

Mr. Dujon was among four young entrepreneurs, and the only Caribbean national, who obtained the coveted award on March 13, 2019.

Mr. Dujon’s company converts Sargassum seaweed into bio-fertilizers and household chemicals, abating the detrimental effect of the seaweed’s hydrogen sulphide emissions. The products are sold to commercial farmers and households. He won in the category: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, meeting Sustainable Development Goal No. 9 (SDG 9).

We are particularly proud of Mr. Dujon as a client of the Small Enterprise Development Unit (SEDU), a department within the Ministry of Commerce. During his engagements with the SEDU, he won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Saint Lucia Business Awards in January 2017. He also served as a resource person, sharing his experiences with other start-ups and hopefuls, with a view to encouraging them to start a business, or understand the challenges and constraints and strategies to minimize disruptions in their operations, and improve profitability.

Mr. Dujon is also a client of Export Saint Lucia and has received assistance in research and market penetration from the agency, an affiliate under the Department of Commerce. During the last few months his “Plant Tonic” has garnered heightened interest in regional and international markets. Most recently, on an Export Saint Lucia led visit to the United States, members from the Miami Chamber of Commerce agreed to explore the use of his fertilizer on a number of their baseball fields and golf courses. Mr. Dujon has been very passionate about having his product adorn the shelves of international stores. His vision, his product and the positive impact of his fertilizer on the environment should be lauded by all Saint Lucians and environmentalist the world over.

We wish Mr. Dujon continued success, and encourage our youth to be inspired by his achievements and remain committed to realizing their vision.