July 15 Deadline for NBA Programme
28 Jun 2016
Over two million dollars in cash, technical training and capacity building, scholarships or marketing support are up for grabs for small and micro enterprises (SMEs) in this year’s Nation Builders Awards (NBA) programme, with applications scheduled to close on July 15, 2016. The programme, developed by the National Commercial Bank (NCB) nine years ago, recognizes and rewards SMEs for their business achievements, as well as for their contribution to community development. To make this programme more valuable, NCB has strategically partnered with a number of companies including C& W Business, RJR Communications Group, Private Sector Organization of Jamaica, Fujitsu, Mona School of Business & Management, Jamaica Business Development Corporation, The Jamaica Stock Exchange , Development Bank of Jamaica and the Heart Trust/NTA, which will provide relevant business solutions for the participants. “We recognized a long time ago that a strong SME sector means a strong Jamaica,” said Audrey Tugwell Henry, Senior General Manager, NCB Retail Banking Division. “The SME sector must be a big part of the economic growth agenda that we are trying to achieve in the short and medium term. Of course as a Bank we also want to strengthen our relationship with SMEs and to be their financial partner for the life of their business,” Tugwell Henry said. Accordingly, NCB has designed and customized its programme offerings to its SMEs and also ensures that they have a number of Business Bankers who are available to support their efforts. The three categories of Award under the programme include the Nation Builder, where the applicant must have a primary banking relationship with NCB and must be in operation for three or more years. They must also demonstrate strong community impact; the Young Entrepreneur Award where the business must have been in operation for no more than three years; they are not required to be NCB customers and the principal must be 35 years old or under and the Innovation where the business must be in operation for a minimum of 12 months; must use creativity which can include technology to introduce a new product, enter a market and/or gain competitive advantage. This category is open to all SMEs. “It is important to note that while we encourage our customers to apply, we do accept applications from all SMEs, even those who may not have a relationship with NCB,” Tugwell Henry pointed out. From what is normally a very large group of applicants, six nominees will be selected from each category by an independent panel of judges. Applicants are assessed on Community Impact, Creativity and Innovation thinking, Strategic Direction, and Commercial Viability and at the end of the judging process, Price Waterhouse Coopers conducts an audit of the selection process to ensure objectivity and fairness. SMEs can access application forms only from our website at Nation Builder Awards Application. The Nation Builders Awards programme culminates with a Gala Awards Banquet to be held in October where the category winners will be announced and prizes presented.
