CHALESTOWN, Nevis – NEVIS Premier the Hon. Joseph Parry on Wednesday (Apr. 15) told members of the Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce that one way of complementing government’s efforts to manage the recession is to try as much as possible to retain their employees.
The Premier, who had lunch with members of the Chamber, said that despite the impact of the recession the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) had retained civil servants. He said funding was available for small scale traders and called on the business community to partner with the NIA to enhance the small businesses. Premier Parry also said there was a great deal of skills that the owners of small business could learn from the bigger businesses, such as book-keeping.
The quarterly Chamber of Commerce luncheon was held at the Patio.
Premier Parry also pointed to the closure of the Four Seasons Resort due to hurricane damage, which led to a massive loss of jobs. He said the NIA had foreseen the recession but not the devastation caused by Hurricane Omar.
According to the Premier, the NIA continues to put in place necessary infrastructure and long term mechanisms to ensure stable and sustainable economic growth on the island. He cited the envisaged geothermal energy production, the roads’ construction, skills training for youths out of school as well as ensuring that youths pursue further studies.
He said the drag racing would continue to attract visitors from other islands who would patronise hotels, guest houses and cause money to circulate in various other sectors. The Premier however declared that he had received complaints from small restaurant owners that more incentives had been given to bigger hotels than to the restaurants.
The Chairman of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Nevis Division, Mark Theron, told reporters shortly after the luncheon that the dialogue between the Chamber members and the Premier would enable them to enhance existing linkages and build new ones that would enable Nevis to manage the current recession.
