Four small business operators are the happy recipients of prime real estate inside the Access Financial Services (AFS) booth at Expo Jamaica 2025 now underway at the National Indoor Sports Centre. 

The entrepreneurs, customers of the microfinance entity, are revelling in the opportunity to showcase their products to a record number of buyers attending the largest exposition and trade show in the English-speaking Caribbean. 

Ocho Rios-based owner of Rated M Printery, Omar Lawrence is among the AFS customers on show for the four-day event.

“Really looking forward to this experience. So far, it has been good. The prime minister visited the booth on opening night and we’ve seen so much interest in what we have to offer,” explained Lawrence, who has been in business for 14 years. 

In addition to Lawrence, the AFS booth is also home to three women business owners for the duration of the expo.

AFS chief executive Hugh Campbell said, “This is what our ‘Champion of Small Business’ campaign is all about. Our customers are active players in the wider MSME sector which is the backbone of this economy, and we believe that when they thrive our business also thrives. So, we have been championing their cause and using every opportunity to give them exposure and a platform to grow and expand.”

Continuing, Campbell added, “We feel this is most fitting especially as we celebrate 25 years of pioneering growth in Jamaica. We are so pleased to be able to give our customers this platform. We’re told by the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association that a record 884 buyers will be in the space for this staging of the Expo, and we’re thrilled that we could position our small business customers in this way, allowing them access to buyers from markets as far away as Oman and Sweden.

The microfinance company is a sponsor of Expo Jamaica, which provides significant opportunities for local manufacturers.

Established in 2000, AFS is observing its 25th anniversary in 2025 with a range of celebratory activities, including an awards ceremony and gala later this year. 

The micro-financier company, which is among the leading microlenders in Jamaica, operates 17 locations across the island and Embassy Loans, a wholly owned subsidiary based in Florida.