Minister Skerritt urges small businesses to tap into the services of NEDD

Minister of Tourism and International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Sen. the Hon. Richard
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Sen. the Hon. Richard “Ricky” Skerritt. (Photo by Erasmus Williams)

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 2ND 2013 (CUOPM) – The National Entrepreneurial Development Division (NEDD) has a mandate to provide technical and administrative support to all small businesses in St. Kitts and Nevis and to address in particular the needs of all small businesses.

So says newly-appointed Minister of International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Sen. the Hon. Richard “Ricky” Skerritt.

“Through the Small Business Development Bill, 2009, NEDD is given the authority and I quote ‘…to provide for the establishment of a regulatory framework to facilitate the growth and development of small business’,” Minister Skerritt, who stated that since been given the new portfolios earlier this year he is pleased with the results of NEDD’s work to date, in spite of its limited resources.

“You can expect therefore that NEDD will have an important role in the implementation of any business development strategy that emerges from this consultation process today,” said Mr. Skerritt to a consultation of theManufacutuing Division of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

With regards to facilitating international trade, Mr. Skerritt pointed out that there are several policy instruments contained in various trade agreements already signed by Government that are available to exporters currently, and can assist them in production and marketing of their products.

“The list of such agreements includes the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership (EPA) Agreement, the CSME, OECS Economic Union, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Bilateral Trade Agreements between CARICOM and several countries in this Hemisphere including Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia, the Caribbean Basin Trade and Partnership Act (CPBTA) and shortly we hope to add the facilities of the Brazil/Guyana/St. Kitts and Nevis Partial Scope Agreement (the PSA) as well as the Canada-CARICOM Trade Agreement,” he said.

He said he has been emphasizing to his new team that none of these international agreements matter unless local businesses make use of the potential benefits, now or in the future.

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