The Tribune

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) will this week represent the country at the CEO Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru.

The third CEO Summit, set for April 12-13, will take place alongside the larger VIII Summit of the Americas (April 13-14) as a business forum for chief executives and heads of government in the region to engage in talks on economic growth and investment in the region.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is scheduled to give his first presentation to the VIII Summit on Friday, April 13, at 9.20am.

The CEO Summit, like the larger VIII Summit, occurs every three years. It is attended by the Americas Business Dialogue (ABD), a subsidiary working group of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), together with a coalition of more than 300 companies and private sector associations in the hemisphere, of which the Chamber is a part.

Edison Sumner, the Chamber's chief executive, as a member of the ABD recently presented at its planning meeting (during the IDB Board of Governors meeting) in Mendoza, Argentina, on behalf of the Caribbean private sector group.

The ABD's goal is to work jointly with government to build a constructive public-private agenda in improving trade, promoting transparency, stimulating innovation, supporting the digital economy, and maximising the potential of the region's energy and natural resources.

Under the theme 'Made in the Americas', the ABD will present its 2018-2021 action plan at the III CEO Summit for consideration by heads of state under the theme 'Democratic Governance Against Corruption'.

Panels for the 2018 CEO Summit will cover topics such as natural resources and smart energy for the Americas; Transparency: public-private partnerships against corruption; and Women at the forefront of economic prosperity in the 21st century.

Speakers at this year's third CEO Summit include executives from international companies Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, Wal-Mart, Boeing, MasterCard, Scotiabank, Merck, PepsiCo, UPS, and DHL.

Immediately following the CEO Summit, the Chamber's private sector delegation - Edison Sumner, Mike Maura and John Delaney - will attend the 11th Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) in London from April 16-18.

The CBF will be held in tandem with the 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), and brings trade, business and government leaders together to debate their specific country issues.

The event is by invitation of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), and key themes to be discussed include accessing modern financial services; easing the pathway for business and growth; and mobilising an export economy.