Stakeholders call on policy-makers to give services sector more attention

Representatives of businesses and associations involved in the professional services industry in the Caribbean have called on government and business leaders to give greater support to the sector.

At a workshop jointly organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the St Kitts and Nevis Ministry of International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, participants noted that with the gradual erosion of preferential trading relations in traditional markets for the region's major commodities, such as sugar and bananas, the future of people’s jobs, livelihoods and income lay in sectors such as medical tourism, wellness management, information technology, financial services, construction, education and the creative industries.

"The challenge however is that many people in our countries do not yet view the services sectors as priority areas for investment," said a participant from St Vincent and the Grenadines.

During the three-day workshop, participants from 12 Commonwealth Caribbean countries shared their good practices, and the challenges and lessons of exporting services, other than tourism, from the region.

"We need to lobby policy-makers so that the profile and attention given to the professional services sector is enhanced," commented David Gomez from Belize.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop on 30 November 2010, Estella Aryada, a trade adviser at the Secretariat, said the organisation considers the services sector as key to the region and it is prepared to work with member states as they develop the sector.

“The main objective of this workshop was to look at the current issues and priorities in promoting services, and to map out strategies for ensuring that member countries are competitive in the market. As participants discuss and share their success stories, a clear sense of what needs to be done is emerging," she said.

"Our hope is that from the wealth of shared experiences gained at this workshop, participants will go back to their countries and make a positive difference by sharing their knowledge with colleagues in their associations."

Ms Aryada noted that the impact of the recession and the financial crisis in the leading target export markets for Caribbean professional services, among other developments, calls for a re-examination of the ability of the region to remain competitive in a tight market and come out with better strategies for improvement.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade of St Kitts and Nevis, Ambassador Rosalyn Hazelle, said that the closure of the sugar industry in the federation meant that the dependence of the country's foreign exchange earnings on that commodity had ended, and as such new sectors such as the services industry provided an avenue for diversification.

"The challenge in doing this however requires the preparation of our services providers to explore the market opportunities available in the region and globally," she said.

Over the past five years, the Commonwealth Secretariat has supported a number of its member states, including those in the Caribbean region, to formulate strategies to develop the exporting of professional services, such as education, IT, health and business services, among others.

The meeting was attended by government officials involved in the trade of professional services, representatives from business support and trade promotion organisations and business leaders.

Regional bodies such as the Caribbean Export Development Agency and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States also attended.

Participants came from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.