Businesses on Abaco Register with the Bahamas Trade Information Portal

18 Oct 2017

 

The Abaco business community benefitted from a one-day seminar

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employer’s Confederation, the Ministry of Financial Services, Trade & Industry and Immigration, and the Abaco Chamber of Commerce partnered recently to present the business community on Abaco with a one-day Trade Portal Seminar. Business owners from various sectors of the economy, who export or have an interest in exporting both goods and services, attended the event which was held in Marsh Harbour on Thursday, October 5th at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Attendees benefitted from presentations on international trade and trade agreements

The business community on Abaco registers with the Bahamas Trade Information Portal

In addition to educating the attendees about the Bahamas Trade Information Portal, information was also shared on the advantages and disadvantages of international trade, the role of the World Trade Organization, and The Bahamas’ export goods and markets.

A presentation was given on the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the first reciprocal trade agreement that The Bahamas has signed, which provided a general overview of the agreement and ways in which local businesses can position themselves to benefit from the provisions of the agreement.

Various features of the Portal were highlighted

The last segment of the day was dedicated to highlighting various features of the Trade Portal, such as its ‘mini-webpages’ that allow businesses to showcase their products, the trade data and analytical tools that can assist businesspersons with export and growth strategies, and its online trade and business courses that can help business persons to be more effective and build capacity within their organizations.

Businesses were also able to officially register with the Portal so that they can be featured on the platform.

Small businesses welcome the Portal

“The Seminar for the Bahamas Trade Information Portal was very timely and informative with regards to international trade initiatives, and showed how small businesses in The Bahamas can export their products to the global market, said Mrs. Roshanne Minnis-Eyma, Manager of the Eddie Minnis & Family Art Gallery.

 

“We applaud the Ministry of Financial Services and the Abaco Chamber of Commerce for this initiative, as we feel that the Bahamas Trade Information Portal will provide an excellent venue for Bahamian artists and entrepreneurs to showcase our unique products to the world,” she added.

The roll-out of similar seminars will be on-going

The Ministry of Financial Services, which has responsibility for international trade matters, developed the Bahamas Trade Information Portal in an effort to address the need for reliable, current and readily available trade information. It is a public-private partnership with the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation with the overall objective of diversifying the economy and facilitating the ease of doing business in The Bahamas.

The one-day seminar on Abaco contributed greatly to sensitizing the business community about the Portal which was launched in April of this year. The roll-out of similar seminars, throughout the country, will be ongoing.

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