RBL’s Sustainable Development Goal 9

Global crises present opportunities for problem-solvers. Those who catalyze the necessary solutions have the potential to establish some of the world’s largest and fastest growing sectors in the future, while also having a significant impact on the world.

As climate change, chronic and acute diseases, structural inequities, and resource scarcity continue to threaten our planet, we must find social, economic, and environmental solutions. The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize the importance of combining poverty alleviation with economic growth and social necessities such as education, health, and job creation.

Republic Bank has signed the United Nations Principles of Responsible Banking, pledging to support global efforts to end poverty, reduce inequality, and combat climate change. Under this initiative, SDGs adopted by Trinidad and Tobago include Goal 13 – Climate Action, Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and Goal 7 – Access to Clean Water and Sanitation.

Building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation are all objectives of Goal 9. According to the United Nations, inclusive and sustainable industrialization, when combined with innovation and infrastructure, can unleash dynamic and competitive economic forces that generate jobs and revenue. They are critical in introducing and promoting new technologies, facilitating international trade, and facilitating resource efficiency.

One of the Bank’s key objectives is to assist micro, small, and medium-sized business owners achieve success. In this regard, we have invested in the Entrepreneur Business Builder (EBB) programme in collaboration with Business and People Development (BPD) Associates Limited to assist women entrepreneurs in developing stable, investment-ready businesses in a sustainable manner.

According to the World Bank, “if women earned equally as much as men over their lifetimes, global wealth could increase by $160 trillion—an average of $23,620 per person—in 141 countries.” Republic Bank therefore sees our investment as a step to shifting the drift in the regional entrepreneurial landscape. Women, too, are critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

A total of 150 participants will receive a partial scholarship to develop their personal and business skills, enabling them to understand how to build a relevant, profitable, and sustainable business in the twenty-first century. The goal is to assist entrepreneurs in establishing a profitable, technology-enabled, and future-proof business.

We believe that if participants apply the programme's lessons to their businesses, their businesses will have a stronger foundation, be more innovative, structured, and grow. This will lay the groundwork and provide the impetus for them to accelerate their internal growth and, by extension, the wider economy.

We hope that this program will act as a catalyst for our Caribbean women and girls to become more entrepreneurial in their economic and personal decision-making. Indeed, the Caribbean landscape is improving, with advancements being made to support productivity, growth, and the achievement of sustainable development goals.