Finance and Equity Symposium starts tomorrow
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
by Department of Commerce
Government aims to provide training for entrepreneurs as a means of promoting the sustainable growth of the small business sector.

The Department of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs will be hosting a Finance and Equity Symposium tailored to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The symposium will serve as an opportunity to enlighten business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs on the available equity and financing options. It will also serve as an avenue for networking in the hopes of fostering better understanding among all parties, thereby increasing the opportunity to access the available financial products and services; and will bring together a cadre of lenders and investors who will be presenting on various areas of finance including managing business finances; equity and debt financing; and investment guidance.

The initiative is in keeping with the Department of Commerce’s mandate to provide training and consultation for entrepreneurs, as a means of promoting the sustainable growth of the MSME sector. It will also form part of planned stakeholder consultations as the Department of Commerce seeks to address the issue of capital for small businesses, since the access to capital, whether through investment or loan financing, has been a major impediment to the establishment and growth of local small businesses. In fact, under the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report 2016, in the area of “getting credit” Saint Lucia ranked at number 152 out of 189 countries.

In this, the second year of the event, the Department of Commerce has collaborated with the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) who will address the audience on issues pertaining to Angel Investment. Some 100 local MSMEs will be represented at the two-day event.

The event will be held from Nov. 2 - 3 at the Golden Palm Event Centre in Rodney Heights, Gros Islet, and is part of activities held in observance of Business Month 2016 under the theme “Your Passion, Your Business.”

For information contact Business Development Officers Jonathan Allain at 758.468.4241 or 758.285.3761; or Esli Lafeuillee at 758.468.4249 or 758.285.4679.