Several businesses in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) met with Business Minister Dominic Gaskin and a team comprising personnel from the Ministry and the Small Business Bureau where concerns about the factors hampering business in the area were discussed.
During the meeting, the business community noted that among the issues affecting economic activity were the state of the Linden-Mahdia road, high cost of transportation, the lack of business registration and licensing services in the sub-district, and access to finance and banking services.
Minister Gaskin while addressing the concerns raised by several business owners in the area assured that Government was interested in sustainable long-term economic development driven by private enterprise.
The Minister also stressed the need for diversification into value-added products in order to increase economic benefits to the community and reduce dependence on primary products.
He reiterated that increasing value-added productivity was a priority of the current Administration.
A section of the gathering at the business meeting
A representative of the Small Business Bureau used the opportunity to explain the work of the Bureau to individuals attending the various meetings, highlighting the various opportunities for small businesses with reference to training and support.
The outreach is a continued effort by the Business Ministry to collaborate with Regional Democratic Councils to promote investor-ready projects within the 10 regions.
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