The Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (CED) is currently executing the Resilience through Innovation and Technology (RIT) MSME Recovery Programme, under the Organization of American States (OAS) Development Cooperation Fund (DCF).
As part of this a Technology Fair, which focused on promoting digital solutions to micro, small and medium enterprises was hosted.
Representative from the CED Afia James-Clarke speaking with WEFM on Friday encouraged businesses in SVG to digitize their services.
“This technology fair is aimed at encouraging small businesses to make changes in the way they operate because the pandemic has taught us that there is a need for digital transformation,” she said.
James-Clarke went on encourage small businesses to make the necessary changes that would enhance their businesses, keeping them relevant in the modern market.
“We just want to encourage small businesses to digitize and digitalize so that you can transform your businesses and that you can continue to be relevant in today’s changing world,” James-Clarke said.
Donette O’Neil of the Government’s Information Technology Services Division was also on hand to sensitize the public on the services that the division provides:
“What we offer to the public are websites with information like Ministry of Finance, Foreign Affairs, CIPO, all of these different statutory bodies as well,” Miss O’Neil said.
She encouraged the nation’s youth in search of any information on SVG to utilize these public websites and make the most of the information provided there.
Ms. O’Neil also encouraged those in the diaspora to make use of these sites as they can derive benefits from them as well.
“People in the diaspora, if they need to find out what they need to do to get certain documents, they check the website as well, and they’ll get contact information and email what steps they need to take to handle their business here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” she said.
Miss O’Neil also noted that that the Information Technology Services Division is also responsible for software application development for the public service, as well as networking, computer repairs and the management of the PBX.
Present at the Technology Fair was Marcia Pierre of Smart Tech Electronics, a business focused on offering digital solutions, electronics and more.
“Smart Tech electronics has been in existence for about ten years now, we have been offering products and services to the Vincentian public. Some of the services that we offer right now—we install motor gates, we do security cameras as well as sell security cameras, and we know everybody wants to save right now on their electricity bill, we also install solar PV and of course we sell the panels, inverters, batteries and charge controllers,” she said.
The Resilience through Innovation and Technology (RIT) MSME Recovery Programme is being implemented as part of the OAS| Development Cooperation Fund’s 2021-2024 project cycle under the theme: ‘Retooling MSME´s through innovation and technology’.
