Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean. (FP)

Officials of the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP) are being encouraged to look to such places as Sub-Saharan Africa for new partnership opportunities.

This advice has come from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, as she addressed the institution’s 39th graduation ceremony at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre recently.

The Minister told the gathering that the region was rife with training in management development services, and with more than four decades of management training under its belt, there was no better time than now to tap into new ventures.

She said: “To illustrate, I have selected a random agency with which such can be explored.  The African Management Services Company (AMSCO) is a Pan-African private sector development agency that provides customised training solutions.  It focuses primarily on partnership-driven capacity and service development to assist African SME’s. AMSCO is also the implementing partner for the African training and management services project of the United Nations Development Programme.”

Touching on the Human Resource Strategy rolled out by Government between 2013 and 2016, the Foreign Minister suggested that the strategy be adapted to facilitate the exploration of international business opportunities.

She pointed out that the overall objective of the strategy was to support government’s efforts to increase competitiveness, promote sustainable growth and poverty alleviation.

“In essence, I see a situation where BIMAP, partnering with a team of local institutions and consultants, can deliver services which contribute to similar human resource development strategies in this case in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Senator McClean noted.

During the ceremony, 1,452 persons received certificates, diplomas and degrees.

julie.carrington@barbados.gov.bb

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