Business
OAS to improve small business competitiveness
Monday, February 27, 2012
A worker at Federated Pharmaceutical, Kingston, Jamaica. PHOTO/File
Small businesses in Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Dominica and St. Lucia, are poised to receive assistance to improve their competitive edge.
The Organization of American States (OAS) has launched a project to establish Small Business Development Centres in each of the member states to assist with improving their competitiveness.
OAS general secretary, Jose Miguel Insulza said it was recognized that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region were major contributors to employment, accounting for 70 percent of jobs, and more than 50 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).