President James Michel visited several small businesses in the Pointe Larue district yesterday afternoon, which forms part of his ongoing visits to various communities and businesses this year.

President Michel met with the owners of a takeaway business, a daycare centre, a bakery and a car repair garage.

The President spoke with them about the challenges they faced in their daily operations and the difficulties they had in meeting certain regulation standards set by the government. He noted that different government agencies should work in close partnership with the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation to see how best the small and medium entrepreneurs can be aided to comply with their regulations but at the same time move forward with their business.

In an interview with the media after the visit, the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation, Mr. Michael Benstrong noted that most entrepreneurs are having difficulties with the authorities in regards to standards and conditions for businesses that keep arising. However, he remarked that since they started to link up with the various agencies there has been progress and reasonable timeframe to comply with their conditions.

“We have seen that some authorities are not being accommodating and giving sufficient timeframe for the entrepreneurs to start running their businesses and comply to their standards as it progresses. My Ministry is happy to say that since we have started to work with other authorities we have seen some changes. Like the takeaway business, for example, the owner was having difficulties to comply to their standards, but we have been able to assist and understand what the authority was asking from the owner and we have been able to make the authorities also understand the position of the owner and to give her time to comply,” explained Minister Benstrong.

He further stated that the entrepreneurs become frustrated when they are not given the license to operate and seeing themselves at a point where they exhaust all their finances well before they start their business.

In relation to business regulations, which often apply to large businesses, rather than the small and medium enterprises, Minister Benstrong informed the press that his ministry is working to see how best they can be more accommodating and give small business owners a reasonable timeframe to comply with the regulations.

He also pointed out that delegation was glad to see that most businesses that they have visited in the districts are run by a family and this shows Seychellois families working together to participate in entrepreneurship.

President James Michel was accompanied on the visit by the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation, Mr. Michael Benstrong, the Principal Secretary for Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation, Mrs. Marise Berlouis, the Member of the National Assembly for Pointe Larue, the Hon. Jennifer Jasmin, the District Administrator for Pointe Larue, Ms. Julita Adela, as well as senior officials in the Office of the President.