Service Sector Coalition Elects Board

Details

Economy

Friday, 27 April 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St John's - Ninety percent of Antigua's economy is made up of the service sector, and a coalition has been formed to represent its interest at the national and regional level, armed with the support of Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer.

The Antigua and Barbuda Coalition of Service Industries Inc (ABCSI) forms part of a larger regional network of service industry professionals.

The newly elected board was presented to the media on Thursday at its St Mary’s Street Office.

The board members include President – Elma Pigott-Humphreys representing the Antigua and Barbuda Tour Operators;
Vice-President – Cassandra P Simon, representing the Institute of Chartered Accountants OECS Antigua and Barbuda Branch;
Secretary – Carol Spencer of the Cooperative Credit Union League;
Treasurer – Ehret Burton of the Insurance Association of Antigua and Barbuda; and
Board Members Laurent Gilkes, Winston Michael Steele and Changa Netfa, representing the Contractors Association, Refrigeration Association and the Plumbers Association, respectively.
Julianne Jarvis is the project implementation officer.

Although the board has only now been commissioned, the ABCSI has been in existence since February 2011.

The body, over the past years, has been working on its structuring and other technical areas, in collaboration with President of the Antigua Hotels and Trade Association Neil Forrester. It was said that the AHTA would hold a position on the ABCSI board sometime in the future.

Vice president of the ABCSI Cassandra Simon explained that the organisation is a service-driven one that aims to provide representation to all service associations in the twin-island state.

“It has been determined that the service industry accounts for 90 percent of the GDP in Antigua… and we have the support of government behind of us,” Simon said.

The chartered accountant pointed out that Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer is actually the lead person for CARICOM responsible for service industries across the member states.

She said the formation of the body comes in part in response to the call from government bodies for a target body that provides unified representation for the service industry as a whole, so it could make decisions in a more controlled and timely manner, particularly as it relates to trade and other agreements.

“By having the coalition what we are trying to do is to group all the service associations under one body so we speak with one voice," Simon said.

"Because what we found is that all of us have common issues, and instead of us trying to deal with it in a divided way, we can actually come together.

Additionally, with a voice and numbers, you have a little bit more of a power base. So, in terms of negotiations, the common voice of the association is what we really want to send out there."

One of the coalition’s main focuses is to improve the local service industry's image through the quality and standards it delivers.

An assurance for this realisation is a series of planned forums and seminars designed to place focus and provide training for member bodies.

“We are looking forward to collaborations and building basic standards and ensuring that internationally we are recognised,” ABCSI President Elma Pigott-Humphreys said.

The non-profit group encourages other associations to properly structure themselves and get on board. There are 10 associations that are fully registered with the ABCSI and a notable complement of others that will soon be fully registered.

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