Source: Date: Updated: |
TheBahamasInvestor.com
Thursday, June 15, 2017 Thursday, June 15, 2017 |
Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) opened its annual conclave yesterday, bringing together business representatives from around the archipelago to discuss impediments facing the sector and methods to grow the local economy.
The main topic of the two-day conference is ease of doing business, an area in which The Bahamas is falling behind in comparison to the rest of the Caribbean region.
Delivering the opening address, outgoing BCCEC chairman Gowon Bowe said: “The topic is one that has almost become cliche. [Improving ease of doing business] is always deemed the solution [to poor economic growth] but very rarely do we have an opportunity to delve into that in a meaningful way.”
He praised the event for its ability to bring together the different island chambers of commerce and emphasised the value of a coordinated approach saying: “New Providence is not The Bahamas, Nassau is not The Bahamas. We have to start thinking about our brothers and sisters. Collaborative effort is the only way we are going to succeed.”
BCCEC CEO Edison Sumner echoed this and added: “Over the years we have found there has been tremendous value in these discussions. Ease of doing business has been a major issue. We need a collaborative effort for workable solutions.”
The National Conclave is taking place at the Baha Mar conference centre on Cable Beach and includes group presentations, as well as roundtable discussions.
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis delivered the keynote address yesterday morning, while his deputy and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest closes the conference with an address this afternoon.
cmorris@dupuch.com