Samuda vows to slash red tape, boost business

Red tape which has tripped up entrepreneurs and mummified merchants has come in for a battering by Karl Samuda, Jamaica's industry, investment and commerce minister, who on Saturday vowed revolutionary action in tackling the bureaucracy that stifles the island's productivity.

"Bureaucracy is going to suck the lifeblood out of any chance we have of recovery," Samuda said of Jamaica's attempt to wriggle itself free of the recession's grasp, which has caused the workforce to haemorrhage tens of thousands of jobs.

He was speaking at the launch of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation's (JBDC) Food Resource Centre.

The initiative is aimed at improving the standards of catering and food preparation throughout the island, allowing those in the industry the chance to have training.

"Our programme is aimed at helping our small caterers, for them to move from doing a thing to doing business," Valerie Veira, chief executive officer of JBDC, said in her address at the launch.

"This would mean getting all their certifications. Everything has to be formal, and they have to understand nutrition.

"We want them to be able to produce moveable feasts, so you can order from small caterers when you have a special occasion," she added, highlighting the necessity for those involved to make themselves marketable and grow their businesses from there.

The Inter-American Development Bank's Kingston Urban Renewal Project funded the Food Resource Centre at a cost of approximately $8 million. A major aim of the programme is to create income-generating opportunities for residents of South Side and Tel-Aviv (now collectively known as 'Parade Gardens'). Those involved will receive training in food sanitation, menu development and business operations.

Samuda highlighted the JBDC initiative as a very positive one, a step in the right direction for small business people in Jamaica, and expressed his intention to ensure disciplinary action is taken against government employees that are compounding bureaucracy.

- Marie-Liese George