Toppin: B’dos open for business

THIS country is open for business.

This was stated by Minister of Industry and International Business, Ronald Toppin, as he addressed a webinar hosted by the African Diaspora Network and Invest Barbados recently.

Toppin announced that the Government was committed to strengthening the relationship between Barbados and Africa, between Barbados and the African Diaspora, and Barbados and global investors.

“Barbados is open for business and is en route to a higher level of development. I invite you to join us on a transformative journey towards excellence, growth and prosperity,” he said.

“Let me also state that the Barbados government is committed to building on its Commonwealth and ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States) links with African countries to forge stronger bilateral and multilateral ties.

“Barbados welcomes foreign direct investment to our productive sectors, and particularly investment that is sustainable, and serves to enhance our economic and social development. To do so successfully, we proactively seek to land investment that is feasible and ecologically sound, investment that will create quality jobs, bring transferable skills and new technologies.”

Toppin pointed out that the Government of Barbados would have recently stated its intent to also establish missions in Nairobi, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates.

Additionally, he revealed that the Government was making Barbados more accessible than before, as well as making it faster, easier and more efficient to do business.

He noted that they would have identified this as a priority and added that the current administration had already implemented a number of initiatives to digitalize key processes in our business environment.

Toppin revealed that such initiatives included redesigning our electronic payments platform; issuance of digital national identification cards and other digital certificates.

He added that as the Government continued to modernise and enhance Barbados’ competitive advantages, they were also concomitantly ensuring that persons would be able to conduct their business in Barbados as seamlessly as they would in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, London or Nairobi.