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"Afnan: BCCI has onerous task of creating roadmap for private sector "

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Pioneering businesswoman of the Kingdom and sitting board member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Afnan Al Zayani said yesterday the BCCI had an onerous task of creating a roadmap for the private sector in tune with the Vision 2030 plan of the Kingdom.

"The national vision is in place and we have to work under this umbrella. But, we will be taken seriously by the government only when we present our case in a scientific manner that is rooted to ground realities. We have to talk specifics about real people and real situations,” she said, talking to Bahrain Tribune on the sidelines of the elections to the BCCI yesterday.

Saying a number of new legislations were being introduced as a part of the Kingdom’s growth vision, she said the chambers should analyse the laws scientifically and assess their impact on the business community.
“The challenge is only getting bigger by the day,” she said, predicting the Chamber’s crucial and increasingly demanding role against the backdrop of the robust growth being witnessed by the Kingdom.
“We have to participate in the decision-making process, liaising with the Government and the National Assembly, updating them on the business community’s realities. We are all learning from this great growth plans unveiled by the Kingdom and greater participation in decision-making alone can have a profound impact on businesses.”

Towards that end, Zayani said the need of the hour was to devise ways and means to make optimum utilisation of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
“The first FTA in the region is yet to be fully exploited. This first will not last forever as others will soon catch up. The officials have done their job, opening the doors for two-way trade. The onus is on the business community to take over from here,” she said, adding that the BCCI had a big role to play in delivering the benefits of the FTA to the Kingdom’s businesses.
Saying the small and medium enterprises were hit hard by the current economic crisis, she wanted the Chamber to come to their rescue by making more effective the training centre it started for the fledgling businesses.