Co-host of the Umoja show Natalio Wheatley agreed the Virgin Islands was on the right track and also felt that many developed countries were coming to the realisation that internal development of the economy needed to be supported. Photo: VINO/File

The programme centred on the Buy BVI Trade Show and the expectations and promises that it held for persons who would be participating and attending.

Guest of the show, Mr Troy Christopher, endorsed the concept of supporting small businesses and noted that the idea was being promoted heavily in the United States (US). Christopher added, “they are pushing a big movement in the United States now that they are calling ‘Small Business Week’ that is encouraging US citizens to shop with the local businesses, the small business… they definitely want a big push in support of their local businesses, they created a small business week.”

Mr Christopher said this was similar to the idea being promoted in the Buy BVI Trade show and showed that “we are on the right track with a number of things.”

He added, “the concept that we’ve had as Virgin Islanders from the very beginning in terms of trying to do our own businesses and do business for ourselves and trying to keep the money within the territory as much as we can, is definitely the right way to go.”

Co-host of the programme, Natalio Wheatley aka Sowande Uhuru, added that he had noticed the US trend as well, “not just for the small business week, but the rhetoric of the politicians, they’re speaking about supporting small businesses, local business as well.” He agreed with Mr Christopher that the Virgin Islands was on the right track and also felt that many developed countries were coming to the realisation that internal development of the economy needed to be supported.

Host of the programme, Cromwell Smith aka Edju En Ka, also agreed with the two men and said that small businesses were the backbone of the economy. “All of these small business people hiring and producing jobs, they’re producing goods and services… they’re the hub of the economy… when you try to kill them off and have big giant corporations and monopolies, you leave a giant gap in the middle between rich and poor.”