In an effort to tackle issues affecting small island developing states (SIDS) a government minister is calling on governments to be more committed to the effective implementation of developmental resources.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, made this observation today while delivering remarks at a high-level dialogue session entitled: Promoting Regional Enabling Environments for SMEs: Imperatives for Enabling the Private Sector in the Context of Government Policy. The discussion was held at Hilton Barbados on day two of the SIDS Inter-Regional Preparatory Meeting at Hilton Barbados.
Noting this was a ???major weakness??? that not only applied to Barbados and SIDS in the Caribbean, she added: ???If I were to speak to my colleagues it is something that has plagued many countries both developed and developing.???
Senator McClean said the issue was discussed during the recently debated Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals by the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, who indicated that as the island pursued fiscal restructuring, part of the growth strategy must be a commitment to ???revisit how we do things???.
Senator McClean added: ??????There is a commitment to revisit, at the level of the public sector, how we work to implement and at the heart of that, is the whole focus on better business facilitation. As we look to do that???, what we are seeking to do is to ensure that we utilise most efficiently and effectively, the resources that we have effectively. In the absence of doing that, we cannot really talk about true sustainability and sustainable existence.???
She noted that as government built on existing programmes, there must be ???parallel developments taking place within the private sector???.
???There is a notion sometimes that the weaknesses reside in the public sector when in fact that is not so. I can say that categorically??? That is why I said before, I can see the picture from all sides. Large organisations???, small organisations???, being an entrepreneur, as a policy maker and at another time as an academic where I taught what was supposed to be done???Essentially, the critical point to recognise is that as we look to engage in fostering an enabling environment, that environment is largely crafted by government, but it is effectively shaped by the private sector and made real and useful by a private sector which is ready for implementation,” she emphasised.
The three-day meeting, which began on Monday August, 26, will end tomorrow, Wednesday, August 28.??
julie.carrington@barbados.gov.bb