The Bartica Town Council has initiated a business network with the aim of providing a catalyst for economic growth.
Speaking to Stabroek News on Friday, Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall said the network held an inaugural meeting on July 20, which was attended by representatives from over 30 businesses, both small and large, from a wide cross-section of the Bartica business community.
“We recognize the need to have a business body that we can relate with at the Town Council level because there is a need for an organized group that can lobby in the best interest of the business community,” Marshall said. He pointed out that the new town does not have a chamber of commerce, which was what prompted the council to initiate an active business group.
He said that if the town is going to move forward as a “model town” then all stakeholders should be on board and should have the same goals as the Town Council. “It’s a work in progress. Next meeting is two weeks and we are going to keep meeting until the group is formally organised. Our duty is not to govern or rule the group. We just want to partner for the development of Bartica,” Marshall said, adding that the role of the Town Council in the network was just to facilitate the starting of the organization. The stakeholders, the business community, will be directly responsible for the performance of the network.
Marshall highlighted that one of the council’s main goals for the network is to ensure that there is smoother revenue collection when it comes to the businesses, which will greatly influence the development of the town.
“Bartica is a very expensive place and we have a number of concerns about prices of goods and services. If we are going to have a model town then maybe the Town Council can influence certain sectors… also with the business community advising us where we need to increase fees and where we do not.” He said the idea is not to “put pressure on businesses and the ordinary man” but to make life easier for everyone while positively affecting the Town Council.
“It is very important that we put forward to the people, residents and stakeholders, what are our intentions and vision,” he added.
In addition to the business community network, Marshall said, the council presented its economic development strategic plan.
While the number one aim of the plan is to make the town a “green and model” one, Marshall said that on the path of achieving such a status certain adjustments must be made. “There is the issue of waste disposal, how we do business, our agriculture production sector and young men and women need to be more involved in the work of the town.” He said there is great need for the agriculture productions sector to be revitalized.
He also explained that there is need for some amount of training for small businesses, which urgently need the help. “Tourism is a big goal for us and if we are going to focus on increasing the tourism sector in Bartica then all of those things need to come together,” he said, stating that currently the council is lobbying the government for 10% of all seminars to be held in Bartica. “Let’s say the Ministry of Communities had 10 conferences, workshops or seminars and the same thing with infrastructure, then we are going to ask for about 2 out of those to be held here,” he added. Such a move would be an additional source of generating revenue and getting other people to experience the town.
He highlighted the current issues with housing that the town faces and indicated that the council is going to consult with the Ministry of Communities, along with the Lands and Surveys Department, to have at least 300 house lots allotted to residents.
“We don’t foresee any hurdles with the housing plan and we hope it comes through,” he said.
Marshall pointed out that another goal of the economic development plan is to ensure that there is adequate development of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in the town, which he said can be a major contribution to the unemployment problem. “Most of the population is below the age of 30 and we want to put systems in place to get them meaningfully involved in ICT because it is here to stay and not going anywhere,” he added.
Marshall emphasized that it is important for both the businesses and Town Council to have the same vision and since the ultimate goal is becoming a green and model town, those are the areas that need to be urgently addressed. “Our services will have to be up to standard and our economic model will have to be one that is strong and must diversify.
At the end of it we must not have a model town that is solely dependent on gold,” he added.
