A new approach to private sector development is needed in Barbados!

This was made clear by Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss, who expressed this view at the 10th Annual General Meeting and the Official Opening Ceremony of the new office for the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries (BCSI) at Harbour Road, Building Number 3 today.

Stating that he believed that there was room for the conceptualisation of a Barbados Service Sector Development Strategy to facilitate services sector development and upgrade, Mr. Inniss opined that the services sector must seek new arrangements in moving its services into other markets in an effort to generate foreign exchange earnings. He said this could be accomplished by a more focused approach to establishing international linkages and garnering competitive intelligence in an effort to penetrate global markets.

The Minister stated it was a prime opportunity to utilise our local human resources to advise the State from ???time to time???.

??????I trust that Government ministries and agencies would see our local skills as a great resource base for consultancy first and foremost???In simple non-bureaucratic language: It is time that we start using our local Barbadians to provide the necessary consultancies to government instead of believing that all that is foreign is good.???

The Minister also announced that Cabinet recently appointed a Ministerial Committee to address the deficiencies in the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement which he would Chair along with four other ministers in an effort to get it back on track.

Stating that Barbados must emerge stronger and more competitive and productive as a nation, the Industry Minister reiterated that citizens must ???put their hands to the plough??? and find new modalities that would create better opportunities in the services sector thereby leveraging the many opportunities enshrined in our trade policy agreements.

???There is much work that has to be done and I commend the BCSI for leading and for guiding and directing the affairs of the services sector??? and my Ministry and the Government stands ready to partner and work with you to achieve these objectives.???

theresa.blackman@barbados.gov.bb

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