The Minority Businesses Development Agency will locate a business center in Mississippi.
A $375,000 grant, announced by Senator Roger Wicker, will pave the way for the creation of the center. Although no location has been given, according to the agency’s website, their business centers are located in areas with the largest concentration of minority populations and the largest number of minority businesses. The award, which will granted each year for five years, represents a $1.875 million planned investment in the state.
“A new Minority Business Development Agency Business Center will put technical and business development services within reach for more minority-owned businesses in Mississippi,” Wicker said. “The MBDA brings tremendous value in creating jobs and promoting entrepreneurship. I appreciate Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo for her recognition of the entrepreneurial spirit found in Mississippi.”
The MBDA is the only federal agency solely dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of minority business enterprises.
In D.C., Wicker and several other Senators on both sides of the aisle introduced the ‘Reaching America’s Rural Minority Businesses Act of 2021’ which would support the creation of up to 10 business centers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
When the legislation was introduced last Congress, it was endorsed by all of Mississippi’s HBCUs, including Alcorn State University, Coahoma Community College, Hinds Community College-Utica, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Rust College, and Tougaloo College.
