Forau: Assist local businesses

 Greater emphasis must be placed on how to assist local businesses to effectively participate and enjoy the benefits of a revised Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) trade agreement, an official says.

Speaking at the Trade Ministers meeting yesterday, MSG secretariat director general Peter Forau said despite progress on technical aspects of the agreement, more needs to be done to assist and involve the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Pacific Island nations.

Forau highlighted the key factors that were essential for the capacity building of the SMEs.

“These include strategies to enhance their competitiveness in the global marketplace, key components relating to their export success and their role and importance in facilitating regional economic development,” he said.

Forau said the strengthening of public and private sector dialogue was another initiative to foster greater regional integration, improve competitiveness, and expand the benefits of the agreement with special attention to SMEs and indigenous businesses.