Small business owners attending a training workshop on ways to introduce a
quality management system into their respective businesses have been assured that
the Antigua and Barbuda government stands full square behind them in their
efforts to grow and expand their businesses.
The assurance was delivered by Trade Minister, E.P. Chet Greene at the opening of
the one-week training session organized by the Antigua and Barbuda Bureau of
Standards (ABBS) and held at the John E. St Luce Financial and Conference
Centre.
Minister Greene observed that there are many ‘catchphrases’ associated with the
small business sector, but that the Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, had asked him
to deliver a message to the business owners that the government is there to offer a
helping hand as they navigate the world of business.
“Over time we coin these beautiful phrases ‘SMEs’, ‘SMMEs’, ‘small businesses
are the engines of growth and wealth creation.’ Well, today, they are not just
catchwords and phrases; we mean it with all sincerity. Prime Minister Browne
asked me to relay to you the small business operators his government’s
commitment to ensuring that this programme is not just another programme, but
one through which and from which you will reap the fruits of your labour,” he
outlined.
Director of the ABBS, Dianne Rodriguez said the Bureau has recognized that
many small to medium enterprises in Antigua and Barbuda do not yet have formal
systems or structures in place to allow them to incorporate, appreciate, and
efficiently and effectively implement quality management systems (QMS) in their
operations. Such awareness would also be a necessary step for the successful
introduction of a National Quality Award (NQA) Program that would serve as a
vehicle for business excellence and increased visibility and market access for local
products and services.
The training workshop is being undertaken under the 11th European Development
Fund, Technical Barriers to Trade Program EDF. It is being executed through
projects that build capacity and awareness development and use of Quality
Infrastructure (QI) that would accomplish the overarching purpose of the EPA
programs in the Caribbean.
The sessions are being conducted by Cheryl Anderson, a business owner with a
wealth of knowledge and experience in the area of quality management systems
and quality infrastructure.
