Jamaica's Gov. Minister Calls on Caribbean Business Community to Forge Partnerships

Deputy PM and Min of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh (centre), with some of the participants who attended the 14th Annual Caribbean Multi-National Business Conference, held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, in Montego Bay, St. James

(JIS) Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh, has called on members of the Caribbean multi-national business community, to move now towards creating an enabling environment for trade and investment in their countries, and to build partnerships.
 
 "The indispensable strategy to govern our progress and growth in the economy of developing countries must be to build partnerships with the United States of America and CARICOM . The Obama administration has ushered in a new approach to US foreign relations. The opportunity is now present for the USA and CARICOM to build a partnership based on agreed goals and objectives for achieving economic growth and sustainable development in the region," Dr. Baugh said.
 
 The Minister was addressing the 14th Annual Caribbean Multi-National Business Conference, held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, in Montego Bay, St. James, last week.
 
 Dr. Baugh, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, emphasised that the partnership must not just be a government to government initiative, but must be forged at the private sector and Diaspora levels.
 
 "There are hopeful signs that the Obama administration is prepared to engage with CARICOM to forge a new era of co-operation through partnership. CARICOM Heads of Government, who met with President Obama during the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago this year, welcomed his willingness to give serious attention to the concerns of the region. They readily accepted the President's proposal for a USA-CARICOM Summit, which is now likely to be held next year, and should give impetus to the partnership for regional development and stability," Dr. Baugh told the conference participants.
 
 "For our part, as regional governments, we are challenged to create an enabling environment for trade and investment in our countries. We must build on our capacities to more effectively grasp the opportunities available under the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) and other trading agreements. The private sectors of CARICOM and the USA also have a role to play in building the partnership. Both private sectors need to collaborate in developing strong business relationships, which will lead to increased exports and job creation," he added.
 
 Pointing to the present economic downturn affecting countries worldwide, the Minister said that the lesson to be learnt in all of this is that the world must now enter into a global partnership.
 
 "All investors must not only think of the bottom line of profit, but to expand that to the planet and to the people. In other words, responsibility to the people and to the community in which they invest," he argued.