The Honourable Lavern King, who serves as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education and is also the business owner of the sea moss company Grenadines Gold, recently participated in a high-level knowledge exchange mission to Colombia.
In a recent Facebook post, the minister and entrepreneur shared details of her whirlwind trip, highlighting an intense schedule that spanned three cities in just five days. During this time, King took part in over 40 immersive engagements centered around entrepreneurship, innovation, and ecosystem development.
She was participating in the “Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystems Knowledge Exchange Mission to Colombia,” an initiative hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank and Compete Caribbean.
Drawing on her dual perspective as a government official and a business owner, King observed the flourishing startup scene in Bogotá and the internationally recognized, innovation-led transformation of Medellín. She noted that the success of these vibrant ecosystems was not accidental, but rather the result of “intentional coordination between government, private sector, academia and innovation institutions”.
King emphasized that these robust environments were constructed through aligned policies, investments in people, long-term collaboration, and clear vision.
Following the recent launch of a local innovation hub and development bank, King noted that she leaves the mission deeply inspired. Reflecting on the profound lessons learned from the Colombian entrepreneurial ecosystems, she concluded, “The future belongs to countries that innovate intentionally”.