BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – BUSINESS Support Organizations (BSO’s) across the Federation have undergone special training this week in the area of proposal writing to position themselves to function in a competitive global economy.
The four-day initiative is organized by the Export Development Unit (EDU) of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and facilitated by the St. Kitts and Nevis Coalition of Services Industries (SKNCSI).
Walking away from this week’s workshop, participants would gain an understanding of the range of proposals necessary for organizational competence. They would acquire frameworks, checklists and templates as reference material to help them become better writers of business proposals.
In a press briefing before yesterday’s (Nov. 18) first session, Business Development Officer of the OECS/EDU Lester Riviere explained that through interaction with various regional BSO’s, which are designed to support the creation and survival of businesses, the EDU recognized that there is an urgent need for education in proposal writing so companies can better access funding.
“Businesses in these countries struggle to access funding for their sustainability, so this proposal-writing workshop has a two-fold purpose. Firstly, it gives them the capacity to provide services to the clients which would allow them to raise funds and also it gives them the capacity to apply for funds based on the knowledge they would have obtained,” Riviere noted.
He stressed that as pressures of globalization on smaller states continue to increase, regional institutions must place more focus on what he called the “institutional strengthening” of BSO’s.
“They can have a very good strategic plan, business plans and goals and objectives but if there is no funding, they have a serious challenge,” the OECS/EDU official emphasized.
SKNCSI President Alfred Harley indicated that as the local organization continues to improve the level of service trade in the region, it is important to train individuals in the area of proposal-writing.
He stressed that this workshop would seek to appropriately equip businesspersons with the knowledge to approach international donor organizations and financial institutions to access the necessary funding for business development.
“It doesn’t start here; it won’t end here,” Harley noted, explaining that not only will the participants be taught how to write better proposals but would also be expected to impart the knowledge to others. He therefore welcomed the workshop as a “very beneficial” initiative.
“You will definitely have a disadvantage if you are going to go up against larger companies without professional proposal writing. This was a key area because in order for them to acquire funding for expansion of your business, you would need to have a comprehensive business plan and proposal that would get someone’s attention,” Harley stated.
Similar workshops are also planned for St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica and Antigua in the coming year.
