Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 27, 2017 (SKNIS): Mr. Lennox Warner, Chairperson of the Executive of the Coalition of Service Industries (CSI), Miss Telly Onu, Consultant to the CSI and Rodney Browne, Task Force Member of the CSI, discussed the importance of forming the Coalition in St. Kitts and Nevis on the government’s weekly programme “Working for You” on July 26, 2017.
“There needs to be a more focused effort on the growth of services,” said Miss Onu, while she explained that the Coalition is designed to act as an umbrella organization to improve the focus on service based businesses and increase the overall GDP (Gross Domestic Product) generation from these types of businesses. “There is a lot more potential for growth if we are a little bit more targeted in how we develop our economy,” she added.
Key areas of focus discussed by the members of the Coalition include dealing with technical and barrier issues with trading across borders with respect to services and assisting companies with exporting procedures. Miss Onu also explained that the OECS is founded on the basis of creating a broader market for businesses and human capital and that the Coalition will provide resources and education to the public to take advantage of available opportunities across borders.
She explained that an important role of the Coalition will be to assist persons, specifically in the creative industry to develop and professionalize their businesses and raise awareness on different forms of trade. She further mentioned that the Coalition will seek to form strategic alliances with foreign direct investors to aid in growing the economy.
Mr. Warner said that the importance of a coalition in our increasingly global market and the unification of services are vital in the success of the country on a local and global scale. “The world has changed and we are now fully globalized; we are offering the world service,” he said. Training and education on proper procedures to enter the global market were also highlighted by Mr. Warner as vital components of the Coalition’s focus.
Members of The Coalition of Service Industries include the Contractors Association, the Information Technology Association, The Institute of Architects and the Institute of Engineers among others and will operate on the basis of providing support for expansion into the global market for service based businesses.
