KINGSTON, Jamaica — As micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Jamaica continue to grapple with overlapping economic and climate shocks, the head of the country’s Young Entrepreneurs Association (YEA) is pushing for targeted, accelerated expansion of technical support for these businesses, framing the move as the missing critical piece of the government’s broader national economic recovery and expansion agenda.
Cordell Williams, president of the YEA, laid out the organization’s position in a recent public statement, noting that while Jamaica has already established a solid foundational framework to support business recovery following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, the nation must go further to close readiness gaps that leave many MSMEs locked out of existing opportunities.
Right now, businesses across the island are still picking up operations after Hurricane Melissa, all while absorbing spiking operational costs tied to the ongoing global oil crisis and facing growing frequency of climate-related disruptions that threaten stability. Williams explained that the Jamaican government has already done critical work to lay the groundwork for MSME growth, rolling out financing options, post-disaster recovery grants, and targeted opportunity creation programs for small businesses. But technical assistance, she argues, is the necessary layer that turns these foundational investments into tangible, widespread gains.
The YEA publicly recognized the government’s ongoing commitment to MSME recovery and expansion. Current initiatives include post-disaster recovery financing and direct grant support, as well as expanded access to low-interest capital through state-backed institutions like the Development Bank of Jamaica and the EXIM Bank of Jamaica. Williams described these existing programs as both impactful and essential, saying they clearly demonstrate the government’s dedication to helping MSMEs move from recovery to long-term growth.
Even with these achievements, however, Williams highlighted a persistent gap: while access to opportunities such as financing, public procurement contracts, and international export markets is expanding, a large share of MSMEs still lack the capacity to fully participate in these spaces.
“Too often, we set a table of opportunity for small businesses, but too many are unable to take a seat and benefit,” Williams explained. “This is not a failure of willingness from business owners—it is a failure of readiness, rooted in unaddressed gaps in capacity and support.”
Common barriers that MSMEs face, she noted, include the prohibitive cost of developing formal business plans, compiling required financial documentation, and preparing audited financial statements—all requirements to access existing government support and financing options. Many small business operators simply do not have the upfront capital to cover these costs, leaving them locked out even when support is officially available.
Williams stressed that technical assistance should not be viewed as an optional add-on to government policy. Instead, it should be framed as a core strategic enabler, as well as a critical tool for both risk management and change management in today’s unstable economic and climate environment.
“Technical assistance is far more than a peripheral support mechanism—it is the backbone that makes all other MSME policies work,” she said.
Looking back at past outcomes, Williams noted that targeted technical assistance has repeatedly delivered measurable results: it has boosted MSME readiness to access loans and financing, encouraged small business formalization by helping owners complete registration requirements to participate in public programs, and even supported the growth of Jamaica’s local business services sector.
Against the backdrop of repeated global economic shocks and growing climate disruptions, Williams argued that the role of technical assistance is even more critical today than in years past.
Most MSMEs operate with very limited internal capacity and stretched teams, she explained. Owners do not have the spare time or in-house expertise to tackle the work of upgrading operations, meeting compliance requirements, or restructuring for resilience on their own. Technical assistance fills this gap by giving small businesses access to external specialized expertise, allowing them to outsource critical functions, meet program requirements, and keep moving forward with growth.
Building on hard lessons learned through the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams emphasized that intentional investment in MSME resilience is now a national priority. As part of broader national goals for economic resilience and long-term sustainability, MSMEs need support to crisis-proof their operations. This includes help to re-evaluate outdated business models, diversify revenue streams and target new markets, adopt digital tools to streamline processes, and strengthen overall financial management practices—all changes that technical assistance can help facilitate.