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Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor highlighted the importance of developing new businesses on Wednesday. |
Basseterre, St. Kitts (September 08, 2005): Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor highlighted the importance of developing new businesses to tackle antisocial behaviour, reduce poverty and contribute to nation building during a speech on Wednesday.
While addressing public and private sector officials and a host of young people at the National Call for Papers for Youth Entrepreneurship Conference, Minister Condor quoted Marilyn Kourilsky, former vice president of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership to reinforce his point.
Ms. Kourilsky stated that one of the only ways for this generation to achieve a lifestyle better that that of its parents is through entrepreneurship.
Our country, like every other country in a developing region, is at present grappling with the rapidly increasing integration of world economies which has impacted on the social, cultural and economic landscapes, Minister Condor said. Entrepreneurial culture will be a key national asset in the next phase of our development as we participate in and are competitive in this new global environment.
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| A large number of persons attended the conference opening. |
The conference was organized to review the state of national youth entrepreneurship in St. Kitts and Nevis and chart the way forward.
The deputy prime minister stressed that conventional theoretical laws of business are being challenged with the growth of technology and requires innovative thinkers. He added that government was committed to do its part in all areas to develop such.
Growth will be innovation driven not efficiency driven. We therefore must aspire to be leaders in innovation and not followers, he explained. The government and my ministrys emphasis is on the path of the development of human skills as well as the technological, entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities.
We are acutely aware that increased vocational training in small states such as ours can render us poised to deal with meaningful value added opportunities that will arise through economic development throughout the region and the world at large. Thus the government is committed to investing in the human and other resources necessary for the development of technical vocational training in this Federation.
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| A photo of Minister Astaphan at the Conference. |
To achieve this Minister Condor revealed that programmes in schools would be tailored. I contend, that we need now to restructure some of our approaches to education and use our resources more effectively to help our teachers, trainers, youths and others to develop a range of skills required for the modern economy, he disclosed. To this end, we are presently making efforts to ensure that the schools curriculum are focused on achieving these objectives for our own survival and growth.
A challenge was made for financial institutions to increase their support for young entrepreneurs as the field continues to draw more and more persons.
The National Call for Papers for Youth Entrepreneurship Conference was organized by the Department of Youth and held at the Foundation for National Development (FND). Presentations were made by a number of organizations including the FND, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Small Enterprise Development Unit, Youth Skills, Department of Gender Affairs and Business Labs Project among others.
