The Trade Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, E.P. Chet Greene, recently emphasized the importance of small and medium-sized businesses in the country, understanding the value of making money and the significance of quality for their success.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of a week-long workshop organized by the Antigua and Barbuda Bureau of Standards, which aimed to educate small business enterprises on ensuring quality standards as key pillars to their businesses, Greene told the participants that making money and quality must go hand-in-hand.

During his speech, the minister highlighted Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s recent remarks about the language of business being money, stressing that nationals should view this as an encouragement to take the country to another level.

He clarified that the prime minister never advocated for loving money, which could translate to evil, but rather for making money while doing business.

He expressed his hope that the participants would become converts and embrace the idea that the language of business is money while still prioritizing quality.

“As minister of trade and commerce, I want you to focus on making money and understanding the other part of the program, quality. Let’s not compromise quality for making money. The two must be married and harmoniously live together. As long as you are involved in business, you should never contemplate divorce between money and quality,” he emphasized.

One participant at the workshop, Wendy Nicholas, spoke on behalf of the attendees and described the training as “an excellent” initiative.

She added that she and the other trainees were able to learn many new techniques on how to manage and grow their businesses based on the concepts that were taught.

The training, which was financed through the 11th EDF and CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), was conducted by Sheryl Anderson of QSSI Global, a Jamaican company.

Overall, the workshop provided a platform for small and medium-sized businesses to understand the importance of quality and its contribution to their success while emphasizing the significance of making money.

The training was a timely and valuable initiative that will undoubtedly benefit the participants and ultimately contribute to the country’s economic growth and development.