The Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs on Aug. 29 hosted its second Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Grant Distribution Ceremony, awarding grants to a new group of entrepreneurs, many from the agricultural sector. The program’s funding increased this year from $100,000 to $300,000, according to Junior Minister for Financial Services and Economic Development Lorna Smith, OBE.
The event, held at the BVI International Arbitration Centre, included remarks from Deputy Director of Trade Lincoln Bobb, testimony from past recipient Sandy Boyce of the Speech Therapy Services of the Virgin Islands, and an address by Smith.
Smith said the increase in funding was made possible through the support of Premier and Minister of Finance Natalio D. Wheatley. She noted that agriculture and food security remain central to the Territory’s economic strategy. “We have a number of persons who are benefiting from this programme in the area of agriculture,” she said. “We talked about food security eight years ago; we were flattened as a country and eight years later, we are back up helping ourselves. Agriculture and food security are vital.”
Bobb described the initiative as a partnership between government and business. “This is more than just an event of giving grants,” he said. “It highlights the beginning of a collaboration between us within the Government and businesses, so we can ultimately build the Virgin Islands.”
Boyce, who expanded her services after receiving a grant in a previous cycle, encouraged new recipients to take full advantage of the opportunity.
The ceremony concluded with the distribution of cheques to the 2025 cohort of grantees. Officials said the MSME Grant Programme, managed by the Ministry of Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation in partnership with the Department of Trade, remains open to applicants from a wide range of sectors.
