The Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industryand Agriculture hosted its first Executive Luncheon for 2026 on March 12 at the Harbor Club Hotel, featuring an address by the newly appointed Minister for Commerce, Dr. Ernest Hilaire.

In a focused presentation, Minister Hilaire demonstrated that he has quickly brought himself up to speed in his new portfolio and is moving to define a clear work program aimed at strengthening the business environment and expanding opportunities for local enterprise. His address outlined a forward-looking agenda intended to positively impact the indigenous business community while ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are broadly shared across Saint Lucian society.

Framing his remarks within Government’svision of building a resilient, competitive and inclusive economy, the Minister identified several priority areas for action. These include improving the regulatory framework for business, reforming the Trade License Act, advancing the long-awaited electronic single window, strengthening support forMSMEs, and encouraging responsible investment.

He also pointed to initiatives designed todeepen economic linkages and expand local participation in growth sectors. Among these were strengthening local production and manufacturing, improving regional trade logistics, enhancing the investment regime, expanding the outsourcing and business processing sector, strengthening tourism linkages withother sectors, and developing a Global Marketing Fund to support international promotion.

A key message from the Minister was the importance of strong collaboration between Government and the private sector.He emphasized that the public sector must increasingly assume the role offacilitator of economic activity rather than simply that of regulator.

The Luncheon was well attended, and members welcomed the opportunity to engage the Minister with questions and comments onissues affecting the business community. The discussion reflected both interestin the proposed policy direction and the expectation that the facilitative role outlined by the Minister should translate into tangible improvements in the operating environment for businesses.

The Chamber thanked the Minister for his clear and forthright presentation and reaffirmed its commitment to continued engagement with Government in advancing policies that support sustainable private sector growth.

Members can look forward to the next Executive Luncheon in April, which will feature the CEO of the Water and Sewerage Company Inc. as guest speaker. The Chamber will also host several upcoming training initiatives, including workshops on Artificial Intelligence, Social Media Marketing, and “Know Your Labour Act – Small Business Edition.”

For more information contact: Mr. BrianLouisy, Executive Director---ENDS---

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