Symmonds wants UWI pro-MSME research to help policymakers barbadostoday.bb - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from barbadostoday.bb Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bowen making Cubb’s work for his family
Article by April 30, 2021
Just about three years after venturing into an area in which he has always dreamt about getting involved, Ferniehurst, St Michael resident Kenroy Bowen came very close to the brink of going out of business.
However, with perseverance, encouragement from friends and being able to access financing through the state-run Trust Loans Fund, the father of four is instead today casting his sight on expanding his operation.
Bowen is the proud owner of Cubb’s Fruit, Veg & Variety, trading in root crops, fruits and vegetables.
Unaware of the challenges that small businesses face and with no formal training, the tradesman said he decided approximately three years ago to put his tiling on pause after “things started to slow down”, and pick up the trading of fruits and vegetables.
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Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds says urgent action must be taken by Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean to “resurrect” commercial activity in the region.
And he has suggested a scientific approach to the process of rebuilding the micro, small and medium enterprise sectors, which had taken a hard hit with the “implosion” of regional economies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noting that micro, small and medium enterprises constituted 85 per cent of economic activity in Barbados, Symmonds said Governments would need to find alternative ways of funding such businesses, other than the traditional financial sources which often reacted negatively to funding requests because of their lack of confidence in the entrepreneur’s ability to manage a business.
More help for small business sector nationnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
March 11, 2021
Entertainment promoters are still waiting to be reimbursed, three months after they were promised they would be by Government,
Barbados TODAY has learned.
And the lengthy delay in paying the outstanding money is causing extreme hardship on the entertainment industry workers, with some even falling sick, the impresarios say.
The promoters expressed frustration at not receiving any money while watching Government pay out millions of dollars to small businesses which were forced to close their doors during the almost month-long lockdown in February.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds received approval for supplementary estimates for 2020/2021 for $6.5 million to go towards financial assistance for those microbusinesses affected. It is in addition to the $3.5 million that was previously approved for the same purpose.