Malta Enterprise is to spearhead the setting up of a Business Support Centre in Gozo and is considering the creation of a business park on the sister island, ME chairman Alan Camilleri said today.

The Business Support Centre will be set up as part of proposals made in the Vision 2015 document for Gozo to have a 'one stop shop' where potential investors and businessmen may meet officials from Malta Enterprise, the Employment and Training Corporation, the Inland Revenue Department and the regulators, Mr Camilleri said. Malta Enterprise would shortly be appointing a manager to work in the Business Support Centre.

He said that the Vision 2015 document also proposed the setting up of a business park focused on financial services, ICT and the creation of schemes to improve the business environment in Gozo.

Mr Camilleri made his comments during the opening of a Gozo regional office for the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC).

In his speech Mr Camilleri gave an overview of the SMEs sector in Gozo. He noted that according to NSO figures, 7.6 per cent of the Maltese population lived in Gozo and just 6.3 per cent of people who could work were actually employed at Gozo.

Gozo's SMEs accounted for 9.3 per cent of jobs created in the Maltese islands in the past two years. There were 1,859 enterprises in Gozo which employed less than 10 workers. They employed some 3,000 persons in all. There were 10 companies which employed over 10 workers - they have a total workforce of 1,507.

When he discussed assistance schemes, Mr Camilleri regretted that no one in Gozo had sought assistance for e-business or research and development. He said that e-business, in particular, needed to be further exploited in Gozo.

Mr Camilleri said that Malta Enterprise would shortly be announcing aid schemes for use of energy efficient equipment and for improvements to hotels and restaurants, which would beneft the tourism industry in Gozo.