Trade Talk: The Standing Committee on Business Development (SCBD) Reconvenes at MTI

The Standing Committee on Business Development (SCBD), which comprises key individuals and organisations responsible for business growth and development from both the public and private sectors, held its first meeting on Friday 12^th March 2010, following a two year break. The meeting was held in the Ministry’s Level 16 Conference Room at Nicholas Tower, and MTI is responsible for providing technical and secretarial support to the Committee. In fact, the Business Development Directorate, headed by Ramesh Sarabjit, mobilised its resources under the lead of Abigail Edwards along with support from Communications, Events and Corporate Services to manage efficiently this first session.

As many of you would recall, the SCBD was established by Cabinet in 2003 to serve as an Advisory Committee mandated to drive business development in Trinidad and Tobago and in 2004, was the instigator of the development of the Seven Sectors – Food & Beverage, Fish and Fish Processing, Yachting, Merchant Marine, Music and Entertainment, Film and Printing and Packaging. The private sector was extremely pleased with the reconvening of the SCBD, given the importance of the Committee to developing the business sector in Trinidad and Tobago.

Senator Dr. the Hon. Lenny Saith, previously head of the SCBD, chaired this pivotal first meeting which was attended by several government Ministers and officials and prominent members of the business community. The main items discussed included T&T’s Investment Policy; the Single Electronic Window (SEW) and Competitiveness, general state of the work ethic in T&T and its effects on productivity and efficiency in the workplace, among others.

The key functions of the SCBD as agreed to by Cabinet are as follows:

Monitor the ongoing implementation of the Strategic Plans for the seven industries
Explore new industries for development;
Monitor and address issues that impact negatively on the business environment; and
Address other issues that may be deemed important by the private sector that need Government intervention.

The next meeting is scheduled for Friday 16^th April 2010 and after this date meetings are to be held every other month. MTI is delighted to have the opportunity to interact with its major stakeholders at this important forum and looks forward to working together with them to drive the development of the non-energy sectors of the economy.