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From Taro Town to Branding Star: TaiwanICDF Empowers Local Entrepreneurship in Saint Lucia
Taiwan is bolstering the skills of young entrepreneurs in Saint Lucia through the jointly implemented Community Business Revitalization Project. From May 12 to 22, 2025, the Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia held its first business training workshop under the project in the Soufriere region, empowering 31 local participants with vital entrepreneurial skills. Saint Lucia’s Minister of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives, and Consumer Affairs, the Hon. Emma Hippolyte, along with Minister of Education, the Hon. Pauline Antoine-Prospere, and Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia Nicole Su, attended the closing ceremony to witness the program’s impact.
The training covered a wide range of practical topics including food safety, communication skills, and customer service. Notably, the curriculum incorporated hands-on sessions on business plan writing, brand identity design, and social media content strategy to boost participants’ competitiveness. At the conclusion of the course, each participant presented a refined business plan as a testament to their achievements. Staff from the Ministry of Commerce were also on hand to help students understand the business registration process and available government support, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees.
Ambassador Su said that the completion of the project marked the beginning of a new chapter for the participants. She congratulated them on acquiring essential skills to develop their own ventures and conveyed that Taiwan is honored to walk alongside Saint Lucia on its path to strengthening the business environment for entrepreneurs. Minister Hippolyte highlighted the significance of the Soufriere and Fond St. Jacques regions in the nation’s tourism sector, noting the vast opportunities available for local entrepreneurs. She encouraged participants to remain adaptable to seize new opportunities, and expressed deep gratitude for Taiwan’s long-standing friendship and ongoing support for Saint Lucia’s development.
Since August 2023, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) has implemented the Community Business Revitalization Project in Fond St. Jacques, known as the “Taro Town” of Saint Lucia. In 2024, a cohort of seed instructors—individuals with teaching experience or professional backgrounds—was trained in the community to drive collective growth and revitalization. The recent Soufriere business training program was led by these seed instructors, demonstrating the project’s sustainability and embodying the aims of Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung’s Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, particularly in its emphasis on sustainable tourism.
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- Update: 2025/06/10
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