Entrepreneurship Workshop to Foster Economic Development in Toledo

Jorge Gentle

While day-one is focusing on creating a network between counterpart agencies in both countries, day-two will see Laiton travel south to Punta Gorda. Toledo is the poorest district in Belize and Small Business Development Center’s Business Advisor, Jorge Gentle, says that Thursday’s workshop with the PG Town Council and entrepreneurs is an initiative to foster economic development in that southern municipality.

Jorge Gentle, Business Advisor, SBDC Unit, BELTRAIDE

“We will be traveling to Toledo, specifically in Punta Gorda where at the town council we are going to have the same workshop. What is happening is we’re already start to transfer a methodology in establishing an entrepreneurial ecosystem just for the Toledo district. We are inviting stakeholders from Toledo to be part of this and we are expecting that we get a good response. Our objective is to strengthen or develop a very friendly ecosystem for entrepreneurs to get access and move from the developing stage to an expansion stage.”

Duane Moody

“I understand that there is a finance component to this where funding will be provided for persons or entrepreneurs in Toledo, specifically so because we know that that district is economically cripple.”

Jorge Gentle

“Well some of the methodologies do include finance and this is based on the transfer where logistics will have to be done and basically commitment from some of the stakeholders in trying to counterpart funding for these entrepreneurs. We have been working with the municipality; actually the deputy mayor Mister Franklin Polonio traveled to Colombia and he has been very much engaged and we are very positive of having the mayor, tomorrow, there present. The council has been very engaged as I mentioned and very active in trying to establish an ecosystem.”