Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer

Executive director of the Jamaica Business Development Centre, Harold Davis (left), and Theo Chambers (right), president of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce, sign the memorandum of understanding between the organisations, while Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Phillip Paulwell, looks on. - Contributed

LUCEA, Hanover:

The Hanover Chamber of Commerce (HCoC) officially opened its Jamaica Business Information Centre (JAMBIC) at the chamber's offices on Millers Drive, Lucea, on Thursday.

JAMBIC is a collaborative arrangement with public and private institutions to aid entrepreneurs in getting appropriate information advice and support to build their businesses.

The HCoC also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC), which falls under the portfolio of the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, and which has responsibility for JAMBIC.

JBDC is the institution mandated to facilitate the sustainable development of micro and small enterprises in Jamaica.

In his address, Phillip Paulwell, the keynote speaker and Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, encouraged members to capitalise on the advances made by the country in information technology, by using it to promote and market their businesses.

"My challenge to you, as you usher in JAMBIC, is to get all your members to have a web presence," Minister Paulwell said. "As we all know, we are living in an information age. As such, we want to have more of our businesses using technology to create greater wealth. It is not size or how much money you have. It is your presence that you have; the fact you are there providing goods and services to the world. Even if you are a tiny craft provider, once your goods are of a certain standard, establish a website."

He added: "The way we are going to get out of a continued cycle of low productivity and low achievements and to create wealthy businesses so more of our start up operations can be successful, is to create demand by marketing, and we have a golden opportunity because we know how difficult it is for start-ups to find the resources to market."

In his remarks, Theo Chambers, president of the HCoC, encouraged more of the small businesses within the parish to become members of the chamber.

"Fortune 500 companies are not the ones that stimulate entrepreneurship anywhere in the world. The Government cannot stimulate entrepreneurship. It is the small micro and medium-sized businesses that are the backbone of the growth of any country anywhere in the world," Mr. Chambers said.