Kingston, Jamaica – A delegation from St. Lucia’s Ministry of Commerce has completed a four-day study tour of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), as the Caribbean island explores strengthening the institutional framework that supports its micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The tour which took place between March 2-5, 2026, forms part of Saint Lucia’s efforts to examine how a more structured and autonomous support system could better serve entrepreneurs on the island.
Permanent Secretary Ms. Sophia Henry explained that the Government of Saint Lucia is currently reviewing the structure of its Small Business Development Centre, which operates as a unit within the Department of Commerce.
“So currently in Saint Lucia, our Small Business Development Centre (SBDC), it’s a unit that falls under the Department of Commerce, and we believe that’s not the most efficient way to support our MSMEs,” Henry said. “So our new minister has given us the assignment to put together a concept note for the statutorisation of our Small Business Development Centre so that it can be an autonomous agency.”
The SBDC network is the largest and most successful network of assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises in the United States, with more than 1,100 centres (over 90% of which are housed on University Campuses), 4,500 full-time advisors and 750,000 businesses served annually. As a business development methodology, the model was introduced to Latin America and the Caribbean through the Organization of American States.
According to Henry, Jamaica’s long-standing model for enterprise development made the JBDC a natural case study as Saint Lucia develops its framework.
“While we were doing our research, we discovered that Jamaica has an exceptional model that has been working. And hence we decided to visit Jamaica for this study tour so that we can better understand the framework that’s in place,” she said.
During the tour, the Saint Lucian delegation engaged with JBDC’s leadership and specialised departments to gain a deeper understanding of the agency’s operational structure, national partnerships and programme delivery.
The Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce, through the JBDC, has been utilising the American Small Business Development Centre Model in its delivery of business development services since SBDC Jamaica was launched in January 2015.
JBDC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Harold Davis, welcomed the delegation during the opening session at the agency’s head office in Kingston, where discussions focused on Jamaica’s MSME ecosystem, the Corporation’s mandate and the partnerships that support its work across the country.
During the tour, the team met with managers of the agency’s core services, including the Incubator & Resource Centre, Technical Services Unit, Marketing Services Unit, Business Advisory Services Unit, and Project Management to examine how Jamaican entrepreneurs are supported at different stages of business development.
Henry noted that the structure of the JBDC stood out for the way its programmes guide entrepreneurs through the full business journey.
“We met with the Business Advisory Services Unit and we believe that the programmes that they have in place really take you from the concept to the market,” she said.
She also pointed to the work of the Marketing Services Unit as one of the delegation’s major takeaways.
“We were very, very impressed with the Marketing Services Unit because currently the structural framework we have at home does not have that component,” she explained. “I think that is very, very exceptional, the role that they do.”
Another element that stood out to the delegation was the JBDC’s approach to project management and partnerships, which Henry said allows the agency to pursue funding and collaboration opportunities while relieving pressure on frontline officers.
“To have a dedicated team implementing projects, scanning the globe for partnerships and funding, and monitoring project implementation, I think that is exceptional,” she said.
The delegation also visited the JBDC Incubator & Resource Centre on Marcus Garvey Drive, where they toured the production and incubation facilities and observed how entrepreneurs receive technical support and production assistance.
For Henry, seeing the incubator operating under the same institutional umbrella as the enterprise support agency was particularly instructive.
“Coming to Jamaica, we realise that the two of them are part of the same body,” she said. “We believe that is excellent.” She noted that the experience has already influenced how Saint Lucia is now thinking about structuring its own support system.
“Our view of looking forward to a separate facility and a separate SBDC has changed,” Henry added. “What we look forward to now is to replicate that model whereby our facility would be under our Small Business Development Centre, similar to how it is with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation.”
The delegation’s visit concluded with participation in the launch of JBDC’s online learning platform – ‘JBDC Biz Wiz’ which aims to expand access to entrepreneurship education for MSMEs.
Henry said the insights gained during the study tour will inform the concept note currently being developed to guide the transformation of Saint Lucia’s enterprise support system.
“We believe it better suits the MSMEs being under that same umbrella,” she said. “So it’s definitely something that we would like to replicate.”
The goal of the expansion of the SBDC model throughout Latin America and the Caribbean is to create a hemispheric network of SBDCs that will improve SME competitiveness, generate new trade opportunities and promote the economic integration of the region. Jamaica was one of five countries in the region that participated in the pilot phase of the Caribbean Small Business Development Centres (SBDC) programme. Currently the agency has a network of 14 SBDCs across the island.
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