BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 25, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, applauded the efforts of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on the staging of the successful National Small Business Tuesday on February 25 that effectively promoted small enterprises in the Federation.
“Today, we were able to see a number of businesses showcase what they are doing. Much of what is happening is unknown and I believe by organizing this the Ministry [of International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs] has succeeded in boosting the awareness and knowledge about the wide range of businesses that are participating,” Prime Minister Harris said.
The prime minister led a delegation of Cabinet Ministers, including Minister of Labour, the Honourable Vance Amory; Minister of International Trade et al., the Honourable Lindsay Grant; the Honourable Eugene Hamilton; the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd, and the Honourable Wendy Phipps, on a visit to the Independence Square for the inaugural event which featured stalls showcasing the more than 60 small businesses and a pop-up and farmers’ market.
The ministers were also accompanied by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett and Ambassador Jonel Powell.
Prime Minister Harris said what was most significant to him was to witness the large number of young entrepreneurs in the Federation at this time.
“I think this is a significant development because we want to create a vibrant country and a vibrant economy, and in that we want people not just to be serving as employees but certainly to get involved in self-employment,” Dr. Harris added, while noting his pleasure in seeing the range of services being offered by the young entrepreneurs including ICT services, vehicle rentals and manufacturers of local products such as soaps and creams.
It is hoped that National Small Business Tuesday will become an annual event celebrated every last Tuesday in February.