Govt forms service coalition

A joint effort between the Trade Ministry and private sector, the TTCSI is a national umbrella body that brings together all service sector organisations and associations. The services sector includes business services, construction, transport, communications, financial services, tourism/travel.

Manning, in delivering the feature address, stated that the TTCSI is only one of many initiatives Government is pursuing to develop the country’s non-oil sector. The PM added, “The TTCSI is intended to be this country’s premier trade in services entity, representing the needs of all in the services sector and strengthening its interaction and collaboration with Government and within Caricom.”

Tracing the beginnings of the organisation, Manning said in 2001 CARICOM’s Council for Trade and Economic Development decided that each of its member states should establish within their countries a national coalition of services industries as part of an initiative for the development of the regional sector.

In time, the national coalitions would become members of an overarching regional body, the Regional Coalition, which would chart the path for Caricom regarding trade in services at the international level, he said.

Manning said TT yesterday joined other Caricom member states, like Barbados, St Lucia and Guyana in the establishment of a service sector based national coalition.

Explaining Government’s interest in the services industries, he said, “The sector is being seen as the new engine of economic growth and sustainable development, given the rapid increase in the global trade in services.” According to Manning, some of the objectives of the TTCSI include educating service providers on important aspects of the global trading system, namely the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group, the European Union Economic Partnership (EUEP) agreement and the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).