Barbadians are being urged to take more risks in the areas of business both locally and regionally.

Speaking at the recent opening of Steve’s Building Works Limited, Senator Lynette Eastmond said there was a myth that the majority of Barbadians were not risk takers and chided those who expected Barbados to have 50% of its population as entrepreneurs or risk takers since that was not true of any country.

The senator explained that for many years Barbados was supported by the sugar industry where the idea was not to be entrepreneurs but rather just workers in the industry. However she warned that the rest of the world was not going to sit back and wait until Barbadians felt ready but were prepared to invest in those countries that are willing to take the risk.

Senator Eastmond also advised that persons take full advantage of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) since she said it brought with it a vast number of opportunities and “it is important to position ourselves to take advantage.”

She said that most persons seemed unaware of the fact that the CSME creates rights for Barbadians as well. “Many of us are not focusing on the benefits open to us. CSME gives rights to more land; gives us opportunities to gain rights.” Pointing to neighboring Guyana, she lamented that enough Barbadians were not taking advantage of the resources available in that country. She said Guyana was severely under populated and suggested that Barbadians did not truly understand how much land was really available there. She opined that while we sit and complain “in the mean time other countries will take advantage. Guyana is not closing the door on other countries; they will move ahead.

The Senator commended Managing Director of Steve’s Building Works Ltd. Stevenson Ifill for being one of the risk takers Barbados needs and urged others to follow his lead.

 

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