Rustum Southwell has waited years for the Black Business Initiative to receive the government funding it needs to expand its services beyond just Nova Scotia.
The program was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September, 2020, as a partnership between Black-led business organizations, financial institutions and the federal government, which committed $265-million over four years to the initiative. The BBI is receiving $2.3-million over three years to expand its services through the Black Entrepreneurship Program Ecosystem Fund, Mr. Southwell said.
The official announcement of BBI’s expansion isn’t coming until early summer. But Jocelyn Stevens, who was hired as the BBI’s entrepreneurship engagement manager for New Brunswick in December, 2021, said she’s already been working with entrepreneurs in the province who were eager to take advantage of the BBI’s services.
The BBI excels in getting the most out of its funding, according to Abdullah K. Kirumira, chief executive officer of TheraPBios PHARMA, a Windsor, N.S.-based biotechnology company. Mr. Ali said the discrimination he faced starting his own business is what makes him so excited about the expansion of the BBI.
It was an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to learn and for the BBI to hear about the barriers they face, said Precious Familusi, the BBI’s entrepreneurship and engagement manager for Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
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