CED Launches Disaster Preparedness Workshop for Small Businesses

An image of participants in a previous Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) workshop, as posted by the Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (CED).

By S.Browne. Updated 2:34 p.m., Tuesday, August 5, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (CED) has announced that it will be hosting a Business Continuity Planning (BCP) workshop to train Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for times of disaster.

The training aims to help thirty (30) MSMEs develop their own Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), ensuring that they are well prepared to respond effectively to unforeseen disruptions — whether natural disasters, economic challenges, or other crises.

It is scheduled to take place from 9 to 11 September, at the UWI Global Campus, Kingstown, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The workshop will provide participants with the tools, knowledge, and practical steps needed to safeguard their operations and ensure business resilience in times of uncertainty. It is designed to equip their businesses with a robust plan to minimise disruptions and safeguard operations, strengthen their businesses’ ability to quickly recover and adapt to unforeseen challenges, and help them gain practical knowledge on risk management and business resilience that can be applied directly to their operations.

According to the CED, this BCP training is timely and necessary, especially after the experiences and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the La Soufrière volcanic eruptions in 2021, and Hurricane Beryl last year.

“If there is anything that we have learned over the past five years, and now that we are into yet another active hurricane season, it is that it is critical for MSMEs to have a plan in place to manage their continuity in the event of any disruption,” said CED Training and Education Coordinator, Keisha Phillips.

“However, Business Continuity Management or Planning is more than just disaster recovery; it is about preventing loss and preparing for disruptive incidents that may cripple your operations for a period of time, or ruin your ability to function.”

“A Business Continuity Plan can help businesses when faced with such disruptions, and the CED is offering this opportunity to empower MSME owners and their staff in getting in-depth understanding of the importance of Business Continuity Planning and the need to develop a plan for their businesses. We wish to urge businesses to take this training opportunity.”

Registration for this workshop closes on 20 August. Interested persons can register at: http://bit.ly/4m7v0vg.

This information was sourced from a press release sent to us by the Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (CED).