HUNTUMS GHUT, Tortola — The British Virgin Islands has opened its first Entrepreneurial Zone and business incubator, providing local entrepreneurs with access to affordable commercial space and business development support.
Eight entrepreneurs received the keys to their units during an opening ceremony on Friday, September 11, 2026. They are part of the first cohort of nine businesses approved to operate from the facility.
Junior Minister for Financial Services and Economic Development, Honourable Lorna Smith, OBE, said the initiative is intended to provide opportunities to qualifying entrepreneurs regardless of where they live in the Territory.
“This isn’t just meant for persons from Huntums Ghut… but persons from wherever they are from throughout the BVI, once they qualify,” Smith said.
The first building features air-conditioned, glass-fronted commercial units in a range of sizes. It will operate as an incubator, allowing start-ups and growing businesses to access lower-cost commercial space while receiving support designed to help them strengthen and expand their operations.
Applicants were required to submit business plans outlining their proposed businesses, revenue models and plans for growth.
Successful entrepreneurs will be permitted to operate from the incubator for between two and four years before transitioning into the wider commercial market.
More Than Just a Business Space
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation, Natalie Fahie-Smith, described the Entrepreneurial Zone as part of a broader investment in the Territory’s people and economic future.
“The objective is not simply to provide a space, but to use this opportunity as a catalyst for growth,” Fahie-Smith said.
She encouraged participating entrepreneurs to take advantage of the training and other support available through the programme, with the goal of developing responsible, well-managed and sustainable businesses.
During the incubation period, the Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs will provide training, mentorship and other business development assistance.
Deputy Director of Trade, Dr Lincoln E. Bobb, said the Department intends to work directly with entrepreneurs throughout their time in the programme.
“We actually work with you throughout that entire process so that you can actually be a business that could stand by itself,” Bobb said.
The first cohort comprises Fiesta Gifts and Event Supplies, Lifeline Transport Services, Caribbean Corner Market, Smart and Glam Braider, Island Suppliers 284, Eclipse Gloss, Fragrance Oasis VI and Suds N Tings.
First of Two Buildings
The Huntums Ghut facility is the first of two buildings planned for the site.
The project was developed through a collaboration involving the Ministry of Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation, the Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Communications and Works.
The Ministry of Communications and Works was responsible for construction of the facility, while Minister for Communications and Works and Fifth District Representative, Honourable Kye M. Rymer, worked with the Department of Trade to advance the project.
Government has indicated that the Huntums Ghut facility is not intended to be a one-off initiative.
Plans call for similar Entrepreneurial Zones to be established in other communities as part of a broader effort to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses across the Virgin Islands.
For the entrepreneurs receiving keys to their first commercial spaces, however, the programme’s success will ultimately be measured beyond the opening ceremony—by whether the businesses can use the opportunity, support and affordable space to build enterprises capable of surviving and growing in the wider BVI economy.