Government to help private sector create more jobs – Camillo

The Government will this year be significantly more focused on fostering a better relationship with the private sector, in an attempt to create more jobs through developing the various industries.

This was announced by Minister of Economic Planning, Sustainable Development, Industry, Internal Trade, Information and Labour Camillo Gonsalves, as he addressed Parliament last Wednesday.{{more}}

“We will go around to them and hear what it is they have in mind, and hear what it is they feel we can do to create a better business environment,” said Gonsalves.

“I intend, as soon as this Budget process is over, to commence essentially a ‘listening tour,’ where I will go to speak to various private sector entities, the banking and credit sector… the Chamber of Commerce, large industries and enterprises, the services sector, the hospitality sector, the technology sector, the creative industries, the entrepreneurs.”

He did, however, caution that this endeavour will not be based on free handouts and incentives.

“It’s to make development of business easier and for us to learn what can be done, if it’s technical support, if it’s legislation – whatever the case may be – so that we can make this administration and this tenure in government to be the time for private sector development and private sector job creation.”

Gonsalves added: “We will be the ones charged to be the bridge to the private sector; to reach out to establish businesses, to help new businesses start up and to try to create a fostering environment for new businesses and new business development in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

In addition to this, the Minister highlighted the need for the updating in function of the post offices across SVG.

He pointed out that in the past, the post office’s role was to transport mail, but this alone cannot sustain its existence anymore.

“When is the last time you wrote somebody a letter? You send an email, you send a Whatsapp [message], you send a text. So, post offices have to adjust and they have to be centres in the community of Government services, maybe of some commercial options, and of opportunities for people to gather and act in ways that they didn’t have to do in the past.” (JSV)