CARICOM Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque says that the private sector is a critical partner in building the Community and as such he is seeking ways to build and strengthen opportunities for trade between them.
In a press release, the CARICOM Secretariat said LaRocque made this address at a meeting with representatives of the Barbados Private Sector on Wednesday in Bridgetown. He told the meeting that a key focus area was the building of competitiveness so that the Community’s private sector could take advantage of the opportunities provided by the trade deals negotiated by the governments. The Secretary-General noted that they must also be prepared to compete with the influx of products from outside the Community and that the public and private sectors had to cooperate in this regard.
John Williams, head of the Barbados Private Sector Association, said that business had taken over the integration movement with the growth of Pan-Caribbean firms. He also pointed out that the regulatory framework in the region had not developed in tandem with that growth. Williams urged the Secretary-General to assist in building the competitiveness through working with the private sector to minimise the administrative processes needed to conduct business in the Community. According to the release, the Secretary-General is on an official, four-day visit to Barbados during which he has met with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Foreign Minister, Senator Maxine McLean, representatives of the Youth, private sector and the media, the release said. He has also visited regional institutions based in Barbados.
