President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has promised the business community a tsunami of opportunities and charged them to put systems in place to reap the benefits.
He said that the Government sees the need for a thriving private sector and intends to continue dismantling barriers that impede business development whilst creating an enabling environment to enhance the ease-of-doing-business. Despite these initiatives, the Head of State was adamant that without innovation, cooperation, and ambitious undertaking from businesses at all levels, the full effects of private sector development would not be reached.
President Ali made these statements during the feature address at the virtual 131st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) yesterday.
To aid business development, the President promised to remove the obstructing barriers.
“Bottlenecks, red tape with its tedious, multi-layered official procedures and administrative gridlock, all carry additional costs for businesses and harm their competitiveness. As such my Government is committed to dismantling barriers which act as a humbug to businesses.”
This, the President said, is part of enhancing the ease-of-doing-business that is encompassed by the seven-point National Development Plan that he had highlighted in November 2020.
Another part of the development plan will be the implementation of an Electronic Single Window for Trade system that is aimed at reducing time and cost, simplifying trade procedures, and eliminating duplication and unnecessary redundancy.
The Head of State said he has already discussed with the Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine, the development of a similar system that will allow for the processing of building permits and plans.
ANTI-CRIME STRATEGY
The President explained that the Government has also recognized the harmful effects of crime on the business community and is formulating a “robust anti-crime strategy to better protect businesses, communities and citizens”. These measures, he stated, are also aimed at improving the business community’s competitiveness—which is the “passport to enhanced business opportunities”.
He said that in this regard, “the Government is committed to supporting the private sector’s desire for greater competitiveness”.
