Sharks’ CEO urges SME owners

The proprietor and Chief Executive Officer of Sharks Entertainment Center, a local business in SinkorAirfield, Monrovia, Yvonne Bright,says Liberian entrepreneurs, especially owners of small business enterprise or MSME should double up their efforts in improving their businesses and expanding services across Liberia.

Madam Bright explains that the idea of improving self-employed businesses is to ease tension from national government, saying “we cannot continue to blame government for our miss fortune, but we must engage them constructively.”

She says the Ministry of Commerce and Industry only serves as a role model for MSMEs, but cannot run a business for anyone; rather its prime responsibility is to provide all necessary documents needed for the private sector to move forward.

“We need to rise up and take the challenge that will bring pride to our various businesses across this country;we need to put our feet to the fire and buttress government’s efforts, because they have been providing us the opportunity that helps to grow our businesses, and to be able to export other goods to neighboring countries.”

She spoke Wednesday, November 18, 2015, at the Monrovia City Hall during a panel discussion to climax a two-day MSME conference conducted by the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry under the theme,“From vision to implementation, buying Liberia, building Liberia.”

Madam Bright: “We as MSME owners must consider exportation as a serious problem, because we don’t export anything from this country, including yam, plantain, and others.”

The Liberian entrepreneur cautioned her colleagues if Liberians don’t see reason to start exporting these things, we will face a huge problem in the years to come.”
According to her, this year’s conference is meanly intended for annual capacity building, networking and business linkage, aimed at providing a forum for Liberians youth to participate in a comprehensive E-Plus business plan and other initiatives.

She indicated that the problem Liberia and other African countries are faced with today, derived from their own business owners, saying Liberians must be innovative ad entrepreneurial. “If you do not have a job, create one for yourself and employ others. This is the best way to contribute to the development of Liberia”, she concluded.

By Lewis S. Teh-Edited by Jonathan Browne