Forty-five persons graduated from the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs’ second Power M.O.V.E. Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme.

            The graduates were trained in areas including dynamics of entrepreneurship, acquisition versus originality, establishing a global presence, management and social responsibility.

Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, OBE in remarks at the ceremony spoke of the importance of assisting entrepreneurs in order to boost and strengthen the economy.

            Premier Smith said he has always envisioned a bureau that would keep entrepreneurs attuned with the evolving customer expectations, rapid change, and positive and negative global trends. He said his Government has made provisions so that business operators have the necessary requisite tools to address and navigate social, economic, environmental and cultural trends in order for them to remain globally competitive.  

Premier Smith told the graduates that they are in the right place at the right time. A time, he added, when many countries are encouraging their customers to stay local.

Premier Smith stated, “We are in a time when the bottom-line strategy requires businesses to retrench its long-term strategy and refocus its short-term goals to remain profitable. And, a time when the status quo of profits is hinged on how well you can adjust to change, plan to execute, drive to discover and define to become extraordinary business men and women.

Premier Smith added, “These ideas are the basic and intrinsic tenets of why I commissioned the National Business Bureau. I am pleased that all of you could benefit from the surmountable opportunities to build a defensible and sustainable enterprise.” 

Director of the Department of Trade & Consumer Affairs, Mrs. Karia Christopher, thanked the Premier for his government’s support to the department and ensuring that entrepreneurs are trained.

            Mrs. Christopher said, “We are happy to say that we have just been gifted with the third floor at the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs, which means that we are now able to actively pursue training in our department on a constant basis. We want to thank the Premier and the Permanent Secretary for allowing us to extend our services.”

President and Director of the Power M.O.V.E. Academy Entrepreneurship Programme, Professor Devin A. Robinson congratulated the graduating class for their determination in finishing the programme.

Professor Robinson said, “The road of an entrepreneur is not always smooth, and persons who choose to walk this path need to understand the courage that it takes to be business owners.”

Professor Robinson also urged the graduates to use the skills they acquired in the course to do better in their businesses.

The Power M.O.V.E. Entrepreneurship Development Training Programme began August 2013 and was divided into two sections which concluded in April of this year. The objective of the program is to develop strong, competitive and knowledgeable entrepreneurs who are able to run sustainable, scalable and adaptable businesses, in areas such as analysis, research, development, marketing, sales and operations.