As the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries (BCSI) celebrates its 20th anniversary, it continues to remain committed to supporting local businesses in their drive to not only grow well financially on the island, but further abroad as well.
This was the message shared by one of the BCSI’s Directors, Wendell Cumberbatch, who spoke to the media at the conclusion of a church service held at the Hope Church in Neils Plantation, St Michael, to mark the special occasion.
Cumberbatch said that after two years of the COVID 19 pandemic, many businesses were still recovering from the drop in sales and investment during the period. Those difficulties are still being seen within the sector, BCSI continues to provide necessary assistance within these various industries.
“We know that we would have had some challenges coming out of COVID where persons in the service industries would have had a reduction in business. For example, persons in the cosmetology industry during the first period of COVID, they really found it difficult and the BCSI was able to facilitate them in terms of forming a body so that they can speak as one and lobby to the Government to get some sort of assistance financially, so it could tie them over during that period of lock down.”
Wendell Cumberbatch
He added: “So, we would have had some members who would have had some challenges. BCSI, we have fought hard to to assist these persons through whatever means we were able to get. Whether it was assistance from the Government or private sector agencies to assist our members.”
The Director also revealed that several local businesses have started to show a higher interest in exporting their products.
“Right now there is a big hype about Guyana and we know the reason for that, [it is] because of the discovery of oil in Guyana. Everybody wants to go into Guyana, and we have formed some strategic relationships with companies in Guyana and we will be seeking to facilitate our members who will be looking to export their services [there] and other places throughout the Caribbean.” (SB)
