EXTRACT FROM LECTURE TO TCCIA ARUSHA CHAMBER
PREAMBLE
Salutation, Chairman Olomi, Members of the Executive Council, Members of the Arusha Regional Chamber, Specially Invited Guests, Fellow Entrepreneurs, Ladies and Gentlemen!
I am very pleased to be a guest in your beautiful city and I am particularly impressed with the warmth of your people. I am impressed with the developments in the tourism sector especially coming from a country that is one of the world’s great destinations. Oprah Winfrey acclaimed Saint Lucia as one of the 5 must see destinations in the world.
Some very significant occurrences have taken place in my life since I decided to come to Arusha and during the period of just under three months since I arrived. I was able to fulfill one of my long standing desires to be a published author – that I have achieved with a total of three books to date and I hope to write a total of six before December 31, 2010.
Along the way I met Messrs. Alphonce Massaga and Matthias Mombajo, whom I now call my friends. I look forward to establishing many more relationships in the future.
This evening begins my lecture series in keeping with the upcoming launch of my books, especially “You can be a Successful Business Personâ€. It is my sincere wish that many Entrepreneurs will follow in my footsteps by sharing their stories with those who seek to enter the field of business. More importantly the book provides new entrants into the business arena with information that will prevent the many pitfalls that can befall them if they are not equipped with information to guard against such eventualities.
There are strategies that both new and established Entrepreneurs can adopt in their businesses. In today’s world, business people are constantly engaged in warfare. I am very pleased to introduce to you my book on business entitled – YOU CAN BE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSPERSON! With the subtitle: Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Fundamentals. It will be available on line at www.authorhouse.com/booksore shortly.
Â
Â
Saint Lucia
Before getting into the meat of my lecture, it is incumbent upon me to give you a brief background on the economic and social aspects of my adopted homeland – Saint Lucia.
Saint Lucia is one of the Windward Islands of the West Indies’ Lesser Antilles, Saint Lucia is nestled halfway down the Eastern Caribbean Archipelago. The “Helen of the West Indies,” Saint Lucia is known for its natural beauty and diverse attractions, including the signature Piton Mountains – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a tropical rainforest and one of the world’s few drive-in volcanoes. Culturally rich offerings include the bustling marketplace in the capital of Castries, quaint fishing villages along the coastline, and the annual Saint Lucia Jazz festival. Saint Lucia’s wide range of accommodations includes world-class five-star and five-diamond (Jade Mountain) resorts, all-inclusive resorts, intimate inns and value-oriented properties.
Area – 238 square miles, Population 160,000. Rated #36 from 183 countries in the 2009 World Bank Report on Ease of Doing Business. Voted #1 Honeymoon Destination of the World for the last 7 years. Its Jazz Festival is world class.
| The Services Sector today is the dominant sector in our economy, led by tourism and followed by financial services. It has taken over from Agriculture which was driven by the export of bananas to Europe. Our economy is supported by Services, Agriculture, Manufacturing and Trading.
St. Lucia is a small island State that is well serviced by Associations representing the various interests of the Private Sector. Associations include: 1. St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture, 2. St. Lucia Chamber of Agriculture, 3. St. Lucia Industrial and Small Business Association, 4. St. Lucia Manufacturers Association, 5. St. Lucia Employers Federation, 6. Realtors Association (Saint Lucia) Inc., 7. Saint Lucia Coalition of Services Industries Inc. 8. St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association The Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) was founded by Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago on 15 December 1965, with the signing of the Dickenson Bay Agreement (the Agreement establishing the Caribbean Free Trade Association). They were joined on 1 July, 1968 by Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines; and on 1 August, 1968 by Montserrat and Jamaica. In 1971 Belize (then British Honduras) joined the Association St. Lucia is a signatory to the Caribbean Community – CARICOM Agreement which was established in 1973 CARICOM. MEMBER STATES include the following:
|
|||||||
| Â | Â | ||||||
| Â | Â | ||||||
| Â
OECS ECONOMIC UNION – AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE
|
|||||||