Press Releases
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, 16 April, 2025 – A project that is designed to reposition the Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (CED) as a catalyst for transformation in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in St. Vincent and the Grenadines was today launched by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
The project, which is funded to the tune of US$44,200, will develop a five-year strategic plan for the CED, and reflects the CDB’s shared commitment to raise the quality of life for everyone by enabling economic resilience, social equity, and environmental sustainability.
Speaking at the launching ceremony at the CED Conference Room, Lisa Harding, Acting Head of Private Sector Division at the CDB, emphasized the importance of the project towards strengthening CED’s capacity to deliver services that will improve private sector development.
“This Strategic Plan is not just a roadmap; it is a reimagining of CED’s role in a rapidly evolving economic landscape. It will expand CED’s reach beyond traditional advisory services to emerging growth sectors like renewable energy, digital innovation, and the creative economy; embed climate resilience, sustainability, and advocacy at the heart of MSME development; create robust monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure accountability, agility, and continuous learning; and strengthen MSMEs in critical areas like management, leadership development, innovation, and market access.”
She noted that the Country Engagement Strategy 2022-26 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines aligns closely to the government’s National Economic and Social Development Plan (2013-2025), which seeks to build a resilient, diversified economy that creates jobs, reduces poverty, and improves the quality of life. Harding said the partnership with the CED is part of the CDB’s strategic vision of a future that is guided by the pillars: innovate, transform and thrive.
“By equipping MSMEs with the tools, networks, and support they need to grow, we are investing in a future where innovation drives productivity, competitiveness fuels exports, and resilience is built from the inside out,” Harding stated. “As the Strategic Plan takes shape, we anticipate enhanced policy frameworks that support entrepreneurship and innovation; increased business formalization and access to finance, greater competitiveness of MSMEs across all sectors; and ultimately more robust participation in global and regional value chains.”
Ronette Lewis, General Manager at the CED, welcomed the partnership, which she said, comes at a crucial time when the organization is moving to strengthen its institutional framework and chart a more focused and impactful way forward. She described the Strategic Plan as “blueprint” that would guide the CED as it evolves to better meet the challenging needs of the broader economic landscape.
Lewis expressed gratitude to the CDB for its continued support and commitment towards strengthening institutions like CED and fostering development in the region.
“With this support, we are not just building a plan. We are building a future where innovation and economic growth go hand-in-hand. A future where entrepreneurship is accessible, equitable, and sustainable. A future where CED becomes an even stronger catalyst for economic development and resilience in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
Lewis said with the world facing some unprecedented times, the region must implement new strategies in order to survive.
The project launch also got an overview of the project from Allyson Francis, Operations Officer for MSMEs in the Private Sector Division at the CDB, and was attended by stakeholder agencies and the local media.
While in St. Vincent, the CDB team also conducted a consultation with stakeholders in private sector development.
The Centre for Enterprise Development Inc (CED) is pleased to announce that (10) businesses owned and operated by women in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are among sixty (60) businesses featured in a regional catalogue developed by the Organization of American States (OAS) Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) Project.
The recently launched OAS WEE Catalogue of Market-Ready Women-Led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Eastern Caribbean is an initiative that spotlights and support women entrepreneurs across the region, with the aim of fostering economic growth and resilience. The WEE Catalogue serves as a comprehensive directory, showcasing a diverse array of women-led businesses across various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing,
By facilitating connections between these enterprises and potential partners, investors, and stakeholders, the WEE Catalogue seeks to enhance visibility and create opportunities for collaboration and expansion.
The local businesses featured are Camara Tea, Jazzy's All Natural, Kimya Glasgow Inc., Leb'Elle Foot and Nail Clinic, Marslyn’s, Miss Cassandra's, My Crown of Curls, Samantha Paperwork Designs Plus, Searles Agro Products, and Siteseeing With Cass. They were selected from among twelve (12) Vincentian-owned businesses that applied for the opportunity to be included in the catalogue.
The CED, as the National Focal Point to the OAS WEE Project, is pleased that these businesses are features in the catalogue.
“Under this project, many of our women-led businesses have benefited from various capacity building opportunities and other initiatives that are all geared to better position them to be successful and to access market opportunities regionally and internationally. Over the last two years, this project has sought to address the challenges women entrepreneurs in the region face in accessing finance, marketing and establishing networks, and we at the CED are proud of the women whose businesses are featured and all others who have participated in the OAS WEE Project,” says Keisha Phillips National Focal Point to the OAS WEE Project/CED Training and Education Coordinator.
The Organization of American States (OAS) Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Project is being implemented in 6 Eastern Caribbean Countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) to empower women-led and women-owned MSMEs to actively participate in and benefit from the digital economy and build sustainable livelihoods. Over 600 women across the participating countries are benefiting from tools, resources and opportunities to support the digital transformation of their business.
To access the catalogue, please visit the website: Here
The Centre for Enterprise Development Inc (CED) has officially launched its men’s empowerment programme, the Technical Assistance for Men’s Employment and Entrepreneurship Development (TAMEED) Project.
The six-month project is funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the amount of EC$348,713. The project aims to empower men by equipping them with skills, resources, and guidance to achieve sustainable employment and entrepreneurial success.
Addressing the launching ceremony held at the National Insurance Services Conference Room, General Manager of the CED, Ronette Lewis, highlighted that the project is the first such initiative in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that is designed to empower males through entrepreneurship.
“This is more than a project or a programme,” she said. “It is a call to action for our male entrepreneurs in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to move; to move in the direction where they start looking at their personal development and their professional development.”
Lewis challenged the males in the programme to take ownership of their businesses as the first step in taking action. She outlined that while the TAMEED project has a three-pronged approach that will provide technical support, mentorship and financial assistance for their development, they need to start thinking about the growth of their businesses beyond the six-month life-line of the project.
“This is your opportunity to make the best of this initiative. The ball is in your court. It is up to you to make this a success,” she urged. “We at the CED will do our part, but you have to come willing and ready to do yours as well. You have to be able to come 100% ready to get as much out of this as you can.”
Lewis also expressed gratitude to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for funding the project.
“I recognize not only their input here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but for their humanitarian effort globally as well.”
Representative of the donor agency, Cozy Stewart, said they believe in the principles of industry and service and saluted small businesses for the crucial role they play in their communities. He also urged the participants to complete the programmes.
“Thank you very much and we look forward to partnering with the CED. This is the first of many, many ventures like this, we hope, and we will make sure that that we assist in any way possible.”
The launch of the TAMEED Project also heard brief remarks by Opreth Sutherland of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Three participants also spoke of their entrepreneurial journey and their expectations, outlining how they see the TAMEED Project helping them.
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 11 February, 2025 – The Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. continues to actively support entrepreneurs and the business sector with its range of business management trainings.
The CED today announced two training opportunities that will take place in the coming weeks and is inviting persons to register and participate.
Men who own and operate or aspire to start businesses in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are being provided with an opportunity to be a part of a men’s empowerment project that will set them on the path towards entrepreneurial success.