Policy aimed at business participation

The National Business

THE Department of Commerce and Industry is currently working on a national content policy to address issues of local participation in business activities in the country’s different economic sectors, an official says.
Commerce division first assistant secretary Fraser Murray said there was a need to develop a policy given some of the current issues like:

  • LABOUR employment training and educational programmes;
  • EQUITY and benefit sharing;
  • ROYALTY to Government and landowners; and,
  • SUB contracts to local SMEs and many more.

Murray said this while speaking in mining and petroleum community affairs and media affairs workshop last week.
He said there were some lessons in the extractive sector that hindered local participation one of which was landowner verification.
Murray said this was not only in the extractive sector, but in other industries as well such as forestry, fisheries and others.
“It poses a great challenge and needs a policy to address these areas,” he said. “Some lessons have been learnt and one of which is the landowner implications.”