NRDF Opens Accounting Centre for Small Business Entreprises

Contact: Rose Marie Harris

March 19, 1999 - Small business enterprises now have a chance to keep proper records of their finances. That’s because the National Development Foundation launched its Accounting Centre on Wednesday. The centre has been established to foster among small scale business people, the discipline of collecting and recording financial information.

As the centre opened its doors, chairman of the NRDF Hon. Matthew Roberts viewed this milestone as visionary and timely as the relationship that now exists between the Foundation and small business owners will remain a central component to the NRDF as they develop their many programmes and policies.

The dream of establishing an Accounting Centre was conceived some three years ago, through dialogue between the Foundation and the French Mission. After this initial exchange the French Mission provided the Foundation with a computer and an air conditioning unit and the services of one of their consultants. Some three years later with the continued assistance of the French government and the Small Enterprise Development Unit of the Ministry of Commerce the dream has been fulfilled.

Hon. Mathew Roberts stressed that one of the main reasons why the NRDF exists is to facilitate the establishment and organisation of micro enterprises such that these enterprises may not be disadvantaged by the presence of larger firms and companies and may in fact be capable of contributing to the economic viability of this country, if only at a domestic level. "With the buzz words these days being accountability and transparency, it is vitally important that small businesses embrace the financially sound practice of keeping proper records and maintaining a bank of financial information that can, overtime, be factored into any economic analysis of the progress such businesses are making within out local industry sector," said Roberts

Through this accounting centre, the National Research and Development Foundation hopes that the economic welfare of Small Businesses through information processing.

Over the past few months, members of the Board of Directors and staff of the Foundation have began addressing the critical question of what kind of institution the NRDF should be as Saint Lucia approaches the new millennium. In all the discussions, the NRDF will review its operations with a view to strengthening its relationship with small businesses.

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