By Shanna K. Salmon
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – In a bid to propel Jamaica’s micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) into the digital age, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) will be hosting the Digital Jamaica Summit and Showcase. The event, scheduled for Tuesday, September 3 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, will offer a comprehensive exploration of how digital technologies can transform businesses and elevate their competitiveness in the global marketplace.
Deputy chief executive officer, JBDC, Harold Davis, told JIS News that while MSMEs are the main target audience for the upcoming summit and showcase, the event is also open to enthusiasts in the space, providers of digital technology services and products, and government stakeholders.
“The admission is free. You are required, however, to register by visiting JBDC. The first thing you will see pop up is the summit and you click on that and it takes you to a short registration, which you can complete in one to two minutes easily,” said Mr. Davis.
The main objectives of the summit and showcase are to highlight the need for the adoption of digital technology in business, sensitise MSMEs and generate interest about the Digital Jamaica Project, and establish a networking space for entrepreneurs and providers of digital technology services.
Davis informed that the event will feature a panel discussion with key partners in the private and public sectors, namely Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the Trade Board Limited, Securys Limited, Jamaica Technology and Digital Alliance (JTDA), and Digital Global Marketing.
They will discuss the topic ‘Exploring Digital Technologies as a Pathway to MSME Growth and Economic Development’. Davis also indicated that there will be a series of presentations on key digital topics, including e-commerce, digital payments, website development, digital marketing, human resource (HR) technologies, customer relationship management and cybersecurity.
“So, apart from the panel discussion and the presentations that will happen throughout the day, we also have booths or tabletop displays – exhibitors who are in the space providing digital solutions to MSMEs – such that persons can begin to touch and feel these solutions and understand what they are about and understand how to access them and, at the right and appropriate time, know where and who to speak to,” he added.
Davis further encouraged MSMEs not to miss out on the event and emphasised the role of the JBDC, noting that the entity is about providing MSMEs with all the resources required to operate effectively, competitively and profitably in a global market space.
The Digital Jamaica Summit and Showcase is an initiative under the European Union-funded Digital Jamaica Project, which aims to transform Jamaica towards becoming a digital economy. The project focuses on three key components – enhancing ICT infrastructure, updating the education system and curricula to incorporate digitalisation, and assisting MSMEs in adopting digital technologies.
Under the Digital Jamaica Project, approximately 2,700 entrepreneurs are being targeted for training in the areas of digital transformation and digitalisation over a two-year period, beginning in fiscal year 2024/2025.
The JBDC, an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), is tasked with implementing the component of the project that focuses on the MSME sector.
