Search Result for: small and medium sized enterprises

53 results found.

How Jamaica Is Rethinking Its Tourism Investment Strategy

Jamaica is looking to grow investment in the tourism industry “beyond the development of hotel rooms,” according to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. That means developing opportunities for more projects in technology, infrastructure and services, he said. “The tourism industry is […]

The Caribbean Development Bank’s Growth Outlook for 2017

What’s next for the Caribbean economy? According to the Caribbean Development Bank, the region is projected to see economic growth of around 1.7 percent this year. The CDB’s Director of Economics, Dr. Justin Ram, warns that this won’t be enough […]

A Laboratory for Caribbean Startups

There’s another major new initiate aimed at fostering the Caribbean startup sector. It’s called CaribbeanIdEA, and it’s the newest program aimed at developing the Caribbean’s burgeoning startup ecosystem. The program, a joint initiative between VentureHIVE, the US State Department and […]

How Jamaica Is Providing Access to Green Tech

A new project By Dana Niland CJ Contributor The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has partnered with First Global Bank (FGB) to offer loans to businesses and individuals for the installation of climate-smart technologies in Jamaica. The loans […]

In Barbados, An Eye Toward Innovation

Above: Barbados (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Entrepreneurship and innovation are critical for promoting competitiveness and diversifying the economy, according to Barbados Industry Minister Donville Inniss. The Minister, who was speaking at the opening of the recent Inter-American […]

Making Caribbean Business Better

By Paul Hay CJ Contributor “With the widening of the Panama Canal and construction of a second canal in Nicaragua, a significant increase in trade and investment can be expected in the Caribbean Basin. So, improving competitiveness of local firms […]

Supporting Caribbean Entrepreneurs, Sustaining the Regional Economy

By Irene Arias Op-Ed Contributor Small and medium sized companies are the backbone of Latin America’s economy. They represent more than 90 percent of all enterprises in the region, generating over half of all jobs and a quarter of the […]

Caribbean Business in 2014

By Paul Hay CJ Contributor The article “Growth to Accelerate in Latin America and the Caribbean …”, in the Annual World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 report of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), indicates that Haiti […]

Montserrat Hosting Meeting of British, European Overseas Territories

Above: Montserrat By the Caribbean Journal staff Montserrat is hosting a meeting this week of several political leaders from the British and European Overseas Territories. Montserrat Premier Reuben Meade is chairing the meeting, which will take place on Thursday and […]

CARICOM, Mexico Eye “New Platform” For Bilateral Relationship

Above: the CARICOM Secretariat By the Caribbean Journal staff The Caribbean Community and Mexico held their third joint summit this week, looking to create a “new platform” for their relationship in the coming years. That was the view expressed by […]

Doing Business in the Caribbean: CARIFORUM Needs Reform

By Paul Hay CJ Contributor THE RECENT report, Doing Business 2014: Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, is one of a long-standing series of co-publications of the World Bank and International Financial Corporation, which records the global competitiveness of […]

Jamaica: IDB Approves $60 Million Loan to Improve “Competitiveness”

Above: Kingston (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Inter-American Development Bank has approved a $60 million loan aimed at improving “competitiveness” in Jamaica, the bank announced last week. The loan will “promote tax and land titling reforms and […]

A Boost For Venture Capital in Jamaica

Above: Kingston (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Development Bank of Jamaica will be launching a new venture capital fund in 2014, according to Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips. The fund is set to launch within the first […]

Who Will Lead Caribbean Transformation?

By Zhivargo Laing CJ Contributor Dr Shelton Nicholls, former deputy director of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, was right when he said Caribbean countries needed to ensure economic growth strategies address the current challenges as well as take […]

Haiti: World Bank Approves $90 Million in Health, Business Grants

Above: Port-au-Prince (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The World Bank’s executive board has approved a pair of grants for Haiti totaling $90 million. The first is a $70 million grant from the International Development Association that will cover […]

Haiti’s Bankers Get IFC Training

Above: Port-au-Prince (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff A group of 19 bankers in Haiti is receiving training from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation. The five-day training session, which is being conducted this week, seeks to improve […]

UN: Ecotourism Key to Fighting Poverty, Protecting Environment

Above: Dominica (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Ecotourism can play a vital role in the fight against poverty and the protection of the environment, according to a United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted this week. The resolution, “Promotion […]

Survey: Latin American, Caribbean Banks Plan to Increase Credit for SMEs

Above: downtown Basseterre (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Around 77 percent of banks in Latin America and the Caribbean expect to increase credit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to a survey conducted by the Inter-American Development […]

Haiti Launches Business Census

Above: the power plant in Haiti’s Caracol By the Caribbean Journal staff Haiti’s government officially launched a census Monday with the help of the best UK forex demo accounts aimed at taking stock of the country’s commercial and industrial enterprises. […]

Haiti Inaugurates New National Pension Fund Headquarters in Petionville

Above: Haiti President Michel Martelly By the Caribbean Journal staff Haitian President Michel Martelly has inaugurated the new office of the country’s National Old Age Insurance office, the country’s national pension fund, in Petionville. “This is another victory for the […]

CARICOM-United States Trade Up 39 Percent in the Last Three Years

Above: the fourth meeting of the US-CARICOM Trade and Investment Council in Georgetown (Photo: CARICOM) By the Caribbean Journal staff Bilateral trade between the Caribbean Community and the United States has grown by 39 percent in the last three years, […]

Canada to Support Local Economic Development in the Caribbean

Above: Canadian Minister of International Cooperation Beverley Oda (UN Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Canadian International Development Agency is funding a new project to support local economic development in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Local Economic Development project will […]

Op-Ed: Mark Turnquest on Why the Bahamas Needs a Ministry of Commerce

Above: downtown Nassau (CJ Photo) By Mark A Turnquest Op-Ed Contributor MISSION OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE My advice to the Bahamas’ Free National Movement government is to create a Ministry of Commerce without incurring any costs or expenses. Simply […]

Interview with Clinton Bush Haiti Fund CEO Gary Edson

Above: Employees at an atelier in Port-au-Prince (Photo: CBHF) By Alexander Britell Soon after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush, at the behest of President Barack Obama, founded a fund aimed at […]

Bahamas Set to Host CARICOM Conference on Regional Tourism

Above: Atlantis on Paradise Island By the Caribbean Journal staff The Bahamas will host the first Regional Seminar on Tourism at the end of this month, as part of an effort by CARICOM to insulate the integral Caribbean tourism sector […]

Jamaica’s Cruise Industry Is Growing, Buoyed by Royal Caribbean and Disney