May 18, 2016: Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry made a clarion call to several Rotarians at the Rotary Club, Port-of-Spain West Luncheon Meeting on Wednesday 18 May, 2016 to understand their role in society, not only as members of the Rotary, but also as employers, stalwarts and leaders who have critical roles in ensuring our economic recovery.
As a past Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Maraval, Senator Gopee-Scoon stated that ‘now is a time for us to reflect on what we do, how we do it and who it affects. The Rotary Club, more than any other institutions, understands the link between economic depression and social strife. As theMinister of Trade and Industry, I understand the difficulties faced by the private sector and the need to create and implement policies and plans that create employment and foster confidence’.
In addressing the audience, the Trade and Industry Minister acknowledged that bureaucracy and costly procedures continue to inhibit investment and business activities in the country. She said ‘the Ministry of Trade will lead the charge and prioritize specific improvements in strategic indicators, such as Dealing with Construction Permits, Trading across Borders and Getting Credit, so that Trinidad and Tobago becomes a place in which entrepreneurs and innovation can be facilitated and encouraged. The Government’s most effective weapon in cutting red tape is TTBizLink, which provides a secure, user friendly IT platform that gives the user access to trade and business services online anytime, anywhere in the world once connected to the internet. TTBizLink now provides (from end-to-end) forty six (46) e-government services across twenty five (25) government departments in ten (10) ministries. As a priority – two areas will be tackled, i.e. the legal framework and business process re-engineering’.
Mr. Imshah Mohammed, President of the Rotary Club of Port of Spain West expressed his appreciation for the Minister’s presence and committed the support of fellow Rotarians in the improving the economic and social well-being of all citizens.
