GG wants more support for entrepreneurs

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:Governor General Sir Patrick Allen has said that support for entrepreneurs should be a key factor in the quest to improve the country's economic status amid the ongoing global economic crisis.

Sir Patrick made the declaration while giving the keynote address at last week's official opening of a new branch of lighting and electrical product distributor FosRich Company Ltd at Fairview in Montego Bay.

In his address, the governer general said that graduates have to come up with new employment possibilities as the traditional sources of job creation are waning.

"The basic key to building our country's economy is the strengthening of entrepreneurship, and at the same time, service to the country. This is particularly true at this time when the economic forecast is still gloomy," Sir Patrick told the FosRich employees and stakeholders. "Advancement must come from the private sector, which is recognised as the engine of growth and the creator of jobs."

"Clearly, the traditional sources for job creation are running dry. As more and more young people graduate and have no job prospects, they have to contemplate new possibilities," Sir Patrick added. "We cannot afford to lose the majority of our best-trained young people to overseas companies. We need their brains and skills for the development of this country."

MENTORSHIP NEEDED

Sir Patrick added that Jamaica's private sector must pitch in to provide mentorship for entrepreneurs.

"We have to encourage them (young people) to consider entrepre-neurship, and for this they need mentors from within the private sector … . Government cannot respond to all these very real needs, and this is where private-sector coalitions and social partnerships among the Government, the private sector and civil society become essential," Sir Patrick advised.

"Individual firms acting in isolation might gain more visibility for themselves, but the social outreach is much more effective when resources, both human and material, are combined for shared objectives," add Sir Patrick.

The governor general's poignant comments came just days after Wayne Chen, chairman of the Jamaica Employers' Federation, suggested that graduates not rule out the idea of seeking overseas employment.

"I would never rule out … the prospects of candidates seeking employment overseas, even if it is for the short term, to broaden their horizons and learn new skills," Chen had told The Gleaner.

FosRich is an importer and distributor of various electrical and solar-energy products, including lighting panels, breakers, copper wires, energy-saving bulbs, decorative lights, and ceiling fans. The company was established in 1995 by directors Cecil and Marion Foster, and has offices at Molynes Road in Kingston and Cottage Road in Montego Bay.