Inniss willing to start talks on rebuilding
There are several opportunities available for Barbadian business people to help their neighbouring islands rebuild after Hurricanes Maria and Irma, respectively, ravished countries like Barbuda and Dominica, for instance.
This is according to Minister of International Business, Small Business Development, Industry and Commerce, Donville Inniss, who spoke with the media after a church service to mark the start of a week of activities to commemorate Small Business Week, yesterday at the St. Mary’s Anglican Church.
Stating that oftentimes when islands face natural disasters, it is their Caribbean neighbours that step forward to assist them in providing the basic necessities for their citizens, the minister however pointed out that when it comes to actually rebuilding the infrastructure of the said nation, then the same Caribbean islands do not usually get to provide these services, since affected nations tend to look broader afield to countries like the United States of America (USA).
“My perspective is that we therefore have to make available in the re-building exercise, the services of Barbadian professionals and some of the goods and services of Barbadian companies. Too often these things happen and then the political leaders and decision-makers look to the US, Europe and other far flung places for advisors, technical folk and even suppliers of cheap materials and their own brothers and sisters, who have done so much to help them through…their most difficult time, do not get a peep in.”
The Minister of Small Business Development said that he for one would be reaching out soon to his ministerial colleagues in the affected islands to see how Barbadian professionals and companies can lend of their expertise, goods and services to assist them with their rebuilding efforts.
“So I believe that we must be bold in not just making these statements, but in making things happen and I certainly intend to reach out to my ministerial colleagues in the affected territories to see how we can at this point in time start the conversation. When the military folks have done their work, when the CDEMA and all of them have done their assessment and things are beginning to settle a bit, we need as Barbadian businesses professionals to be in there offering our services. Even if we offer them as a discount rate, but I don’t want to see a sluff of extra-regional individuals and companies taking all of the work in the re-building exercise.”