3 female Vincy entrepreneurs win $26,000 each

Three businesses have won the “Entrepreneurial Elite Award” in the Business Plan Competition of the Women’s Empowerment Project – SVG sponsored by the government of Taiwan.

The winners, Jessica Jaja of Bequia Threadworks, Sophia Searles of Searles Agro Products, and Kenna Questelles of Kinexxio, were each presented with a trophy and EC$26,000 to help them accelerate their business plans.

On March 8, International Women’s Day, Ambassador Peter Sha-Li Lan, Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves, Gender Affairs, Orando Brewster, and Senator Keisal Peters, minister of state with Responsibility for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, presented awards and cheques of EC$26,000 to each winner at the Taiwan embassy in Kingstonw.

Lan explained that the Women’s Empowerment Project – SVG is a mega project in response to the impact of COVID-19 and the eruption of La Soufriere volcano.

The project included several components, such as vocational skills training, business counselling and the International Initiative programme.

The winners were among the participants of the “Entrepreneurial Elite Award” project in the second half of 2021.

Two more rounds of the same training courses will be executed this year.

Lan encouraged Vincentian women from every walk of life to participate in all the projects under the Women’s Empowerment Project.

Gonsalves congratulated the winners on their achievements in excelling in the keen competition.

He said small and medium enterprises were greatly impacted by the pandemic and the volcanic eruption and the Entrepreneurial Elite Award would enable the winners to facilitate their business plans and could serve as models for other women to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship. 

Meanwhile, Brewster said that after intensive training and rigorous procedure, the winners had proved that they were capable of realising their remarkable business plans.

The ministers thanked Taiwan as the genuine partner in the development of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and urged all Vincentian women to grasp the opportunity to join in the project.

Peters conveyed greetings in a recorded video. She noted that the last two years have been difficult for the women of SVG.

She urged Vincentian women, including civil society organisations to take advantage of this grand opportunity.   

The Women’s Empowerment Project – SVG is co-sponsored by the Governments of Taiwan and SVG and is being implemented by the Taiwan Technical Mission, Centre for Enterprise Development and Department of Adult and Continuing Education.