The Grand Port Authority plans to play an active role in energizing the small business sector in Grand Bahama, according to co-chairman and CEO Julian Francis.
“I have on my desk a draft of this programme which we’ve had prepared and which we expect [will be put into action] over the next month or two,” Mr. Francis said.
“We recognize the need to continue to nurture and develop our small business sector. We have been working on a programme, which will accomplish that. It would involve the cooperation of our colleagues at the Chamber of Commerce and government institutions like [The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute] in order to bring this about.”
The development of the small business sector is most critical in bringing Bahamian entrepreneurs into the economy in a meaningful way, Mr. Francis noted.
Through the programme, he said, small business people would be assisted in developing their business plan and growing their businesses.
The Grand Bahama Port Authority recently forged an alliance with the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, and the Bahamas Development Bank to create a Business Information Centre.
The Business Information Centre, located in the Chamber’s office complex, offers free assistance and support to businesses. The facility provides access to computers and business resource materials, along with business counseling and workshops.
Noting the failings of the GB Port Authority to stimulate business activity, Mr. Francis said the Port has not sufficiently taken advantage of existing options available to it and has failed to engaged business owners in dialogue in a significant way.
“We have not been exploiting nearly well enough the existing opportunities that are available to us in the business community,” he said.
“We haven’t had serious, extensive, and full dialogue with our existing business community to know what more can be done by them to develop this economy, [and] how we can work effectively with them to make that happen.”
In light of the shortcomings, Mr. Francis said the Port looked more closely and generally at how to take a more systematic and structured approach in those areas of economic activity that should be the principle areas of focus for Freeport.
He said special attention was given to those areas where businesses in Freeport have the best opportunity to compete.
Evaluating the efforts of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Mr. Francis said, “The important point is we have really tried to organize our approach to developing the business here in Freeport, and we are really enthusiastic about it.”
Mr. Francis said a public/private sector partnership is integral to Grand Bahama’s success.
“This has to be the basis of the way we work as we go forward,” Mr. Francis said
“We have been actively pursuing this partnership at all levels with the Freeport City Council, with the government administrator in Freeport, with the public institutions, and government ministries.
“But we recognize there are some important things we need to do to ensure that this relationship is rich and as productive as can be. Unless we get that aspect of the operation right we probably fall short of the mark.”
Mr. Francis said the Port Authority is hopeful that it would be able to help energize the small business sector to get it involved in making Grand Bahama’s economy what it can become.
By: Daphne McIntosh, The Bahama Journal
