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$5.8M for micro and small businesses in August Town

Published:Friday | April 29, 2022 | 3:01 PM
Grant support of $5.8 million was on April 28 awarded to micro and small enterprises in the August Town community. Displaying the cheque are Minister of Education Fayval Williams (centre) and (from left) Senior Manager, Social Development, of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Mona Sue Ho; Managing Director JSIF, Omar Sweeney; Inspector of Police, August Town Police Station, Inspector Stephen Taylor and National Police Youth Club Coordinator and President (Acting) of the August Town Community Development Committee, Sergeant Ricardo McCalpin. -Contributed photo.

A total of 44 micro and small enterprises in the August Town, St Andrew have been awarded grant support valued at $5.8million under the Government's Integrated Community Development Project II (ICDP-II).

The project is being implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

Presentation of the award was made Thursday at the Haven of Hope Open Bible Church in the community, where some of the beneficiaries displayed their creations and received much encouragement.

Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for St Andrew Eastern, Fayval Williams, lauded the importance of small businesses to community development.

“These small enterprises have been the seedbed for new ideas and the testing ground for new ways of working. They often lead the way for new products on the market and new services [and] help to foster local economies,” Williams said.

She encouraged the entrepreneurs to “get formalised” so that they can take their businesses to the next level.

She highlighted that Jamaica's unemployment rate has dropped to 6.2 per cent and the project will further contribute to “economic growth and community development through income generation and job creation”.

She urged community members to encourage these local businesses by offering them the support needed to sustain their operations.

Managing Director of JSIF, Omar Sweeney, noted that in the first cycle of the ICDP-II, approximately $3 million was invested to support 24 micro and small entrepreneurs.

With the 44 persons added on Thursday, a total of 68 enterprises have benefited from the programme.

Sweeney said more than 300 applications were received.

“We want to create the type of community that every Jamaican deserves to live in; a community that is safe,” said Sweeney.

He said, further, that, “the impact and the intervention that is being made is to ensure that no community is left behind”.

Sweeney acknowledged the ministries and organisations that partnered with JSIF to offer additional support to the beneficiaries. Among them are the August Town Community Development Committee, the Ministry of National Security, the JPS Foundation, the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, the National Housing Trust and the Companies Office of Jamaica.

“These partners will be on hand to provide the necessary business support that the beneficiaries might need to sustain their business ventures,” Sweeney said.

- JIS News

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