Enhancing and improving the business climate for local private sector entities was a major focus of a business luncheon that facilitated discussions between private sector representatives, and newly elected Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on Tuesday.
Over 250 participants from a broad cross-section of businesses including, telecoms, utilities, construction, tourism, technology, finance, insurance, hardware, and wholesale/retail sectors converged at the Grenada Trade Centre, Morne Rouge in Grand Anse to participate in the event.
It was the first to be organised by the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GCIC) for the year, which usually attracts about 50 persons but saw a full house with the new Prime Minister in attendance.
PM Dickon Mitchell welcomed the opportunity to engage private sector businesses, giving assurances that a National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime would give greater attention to their needs.
“I think there has been a tradition where Grenadians, and I mean Grenadian citizens regardless of ethnicity, or how you acquire the Grenadian citizenship are treated as second class citizens by governments when it comes to incentives, concessions, the ease of doing business, and decision making, and I want to assure this private sector that our focus is on Grenadians who own businesses, would like to start businesses, and who wish to grow their businesses,” the Grenadian leader said.
“So, our focus will be on businesses that operate in Grenada, particularly, businesses who have already proven themselves, so that we continue to encourage them to expand and to grow…,” explained PM Mitchell, who acknowledged that the success of his transformational agenda for the country, as outlined during the election campaign, will be hinged on the performance of the private sector.
“And, for the transformation of Grenada to take place, for that transformation to take place, it would have to be led (and) driven by the private sector. So, really, I was campaigning on your behalf to ensure that we can transform and improve Grenada,” the Prime Minister stated.
“Human resource (and) the ongoing pandemic, especially in small businesses, the disrupting and uncertain supply chain, and cash flow pressures as costs continue to rise, not to mention the geopolitical situations we are seeing,” were among some of the “unprecedented challenges being face by the private sector,” as highlighted by the President of the GCIC, Emmanuel Duncan.
Tuesday’s event was expected to chart the way forward, in terms of the relationship being forged, between the new government and the private sector businesses in the country.
One business woman who attended the luncheon described it as a “great” event that attracted a large gathering.
“…It was great – the Chamber of Commerce said they had to turn down people – they made some money,” she said.
PM Mitchell was accompanied to the luncheon by Minister for Economic Development, Lennox ‘Toes’ Andrews, the man in charge of what has been dubbed as the government’s “super ministry” which will be responsible for driving the productive sectors on the island including Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, ICT and the Creative Economy.
The other senior government minister at the luncheon was Member of Parliament for South St George, Andy Williams, who heads the newly formed Ministry of Mobilisation, Implementation, and Transformation, which is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all the other ministries deliver on behalf of the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.