SAINT LUCIAN ENTREPRENEURS CHALLENGED
March 31, 2010
Edward Harris At Large!
SAINT LUCIAN ENTREPRENEURS CHALLENGED
TO EXPLOIT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
A number of agencies engaged in the development of entrepreneurship are at work to inform and educate business persons about the opportunities for available support from local, regional and international governments and agencies. The National Development Corporation (NDC) and Office of Private Sector Relations (OPSR) collaborated in hosting a one day Seminar on March 30, 2010 entitled “Exploring Opportunities for Investment Generation with St. Lucia’s Trading Partnersâ€
Topics included: the Relationship between Investment and Trade, a Global Review: Investment Trends in 2010 and Beyond, the role of the Private Sector in Investment Generation, the Nexus between Trade Agreements and Inward Investment, Using Trade Agreements as Tools for Investment Generation, Strategic Partnership for Business Development and Growth. It was promised that all the presentations will be posted on the websites of the two agencies at www.investstlucia.com and www.opsr.org.lc I encourage you to check out the presentations.
Participants were brought up to date on trading developments internationally and the several opportunities available to business persons if they will avail themselves to the information and collaborate with the local agencies to maximize the support that is possible, especially through the European Partnership Agreement and very soon the Canada Agreement which is currently being negotiated. It was noted that there are obstacles but once the rules of engagement are grasped, a number of possibilities will be opened up. When it cannot be done by an individual, a joint venture approach may be the answer.
The lack of enthusiasm to pursue knowledge in the area of business was noted and most disappointing was the response of the youth. There is work to be done at the level of learning institutions to create serious interest in entrepreneurship. The public expressions of difficulties in securing finance for businesses must be dealt with so that anyone with a viable business proposition could be assured of getting financial support. There is need to inject hope in those seeking to get involved in business whether young or old.
A Free Seminar on SMEs and E-Commerce is scheduled to be held in St. Lucia on April 8, 2010. Associations representing SMEs are being approached to be represented at this important meeting. SMEs are requested to fill out an E-Commerce questionnaire online at http://www.sme.ag There was a time when our inability to effectively utilize certain payment systems, especially PAY PAL where you had to provide a US Bank Account and a US Address seriously restricted E-Commerce. You can now register with Pay Pal using a St. Lucia address with a Credit Card being optional. However, legislation on E-Commerce is still to be finalized. In the meantime, consumers need to be made aware about the implications of E-Commerce in the absence of legislation to govern its operations.
There is a high incidence of Computer Fraud and as a result, it has become necessary for local IT professionals to acquire the skills to deal with such issues An opportunity will be provided for citizens throughout the region to be exposed to InfoSec Institute’s Computer Forensics training program http://www.infosecinstitute.com which received favourable comments from NASPA, the largest independent IT support industry organization. The 5 day course is scheduled for May 10-14, 2010 in St. Lucia.
The Computer Forensics training will be in a state of the art computer forensics lab. In this lab, participants will be performing live examinations on disk media, searching for the root cause of a “mock” cyber crime incident. Other labs include: Discovering Hidden Data on NTFS Drives; Removing strong file encryption; Carving metadata from Word Documents;
Analyzing slack space on hard drives; Recovering trace Internet usage files. The hands on labs are accompanied by thought provoking lectures where participants will learn: How to properly gather evidence; Avoiding privacy issues; Real World Case Forensics; CCFE and CHFI Review Material.
This is the time for us to sharpen our skills so that we can be in a position to take advantage of the post recession opportunities now unfolding.
HAPPY EASTER! I wish my readers, their loved ones and friends everywhere a Happy Easter! It is no longer a time for mourning but rather a time to celebrate. After all, Christians serve a risen Saviour. He is risen!
Think positive, Keep the Faith, God is in Charge; expect Daily Miracles!
Edward Harris
Biblicist, Freelance Journalist, Realtor, Business & PR Consultant
Email: eaharrisdestiny@gmail.com
Websites: www.stluciasimplybeautiful.com
www.stluciapropertydeals.com
www.brainstorminggroup.webs.com
www.cariblist.com St. Lucia – Agent ECREDMC