A government minister is calling for the implementation of an institutional framework to facilitate enhanced collaboration between Barbadians living overseas and at home.
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, made this observation today while addressing the official launch of the Barbados Network Consultation (BNC) 2014 and the Panama 2014 Centennial Celebrations.
Her comments were made during a press conference, which also linked up some of the overseas missions via Skype, and was held in the Ministry???s conference room.
She emphasised that the conference reflected Government???s commitment to recognising and building on the invaluable contribution that Barbadians overseas had made to the development of the country.
Noting that a closer partnership was vital, she added: ???Such collaboration is all the more possible, logical and in fact inescapable, given the proliferation of social media networks and other modern modes of communication. The benefits to be derived from such collaboration will be limited only by our capacity to imagine and envision the possibilities and opportunities which await us.???
She further noted that whether it was a matter of remittances, resettlement in Barbados, contributing to worthy causes, the transfer of skills, business investment, the purchase of shares in local companies, or the purchase of Government paper or serving as consumers, it was important to improve on services.
She said that distributors were needed for Barbadian goods and services and much more, and the BNC provided a timely occasion for discussions on how existing pathways of interaction between Barbadians overseas and at home, could be further developed.
The Acting Foreign Affairs Minister said the Conference???s theme: One Nation, One Family ??? Building Pathways to Prosperity and Development, would feature sessions depicting various important linkages including Pathways to Trade and Investment, Pathways to Status/Recognition/Pathways to Philanthropy and related assistance, Pathways to Finance and Pathways to Resettlement.
julia.carrington@barbados.gov.bb