Saint Lucia: NCPC requests private sector support for supply chain diagnostic survey

Saint Lucia: Supply chain management involves the flow of goods and services and includes all processes that transform raw materials into final products. It also involves actively streamlining a business’s supply-side activities to maximize customer value and gain a competitive advantage.

Economist at the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC), Sharma Mathurin noted that due to the conflict in Ukraine and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Saint Lucia’s economy had been directly impacted by supply chain issues resulting in shortages of essential items such as sugar.

She said one of the initiatives under the government’s economic recovery and resilience plan seeks to find solutions to the supply chain and logistics issues affecting national productivity and competitiveness.

“Both regional and international agencies have approached the government and are trying to come up with solutions to deal with the issue at hand, and so we felt that before we take any corrective measure that a proper diagnosis of the problem should be made. And so this is why we are completing and designing a diagnostic survey, and it gives the private sector one chance to comment on, where the bottlenecks exist, what are their main challenges, how they feel the government should intervene, and also their recommendations on solutions to the problem?” she mentioned.

Mathurin added that the NCPC is charged with leading this initiative, and the survey instrument will provide quality data for evidence-based decision-making by policymakers.

The minister said, “I think this is a very good example of evidence-based planning and strategy and project implementation because it ensures that whatever corrective measures are implemented are backed by data and evidence-based and that the measures are in direct alignment with the needs of the beneficiaries being the private sector.”

The survey instrument has been designed and widely disseminated to the local business sector via various associations. The NCPC is appealing for the participation of the private sector in completing the survey.

“So we at the competitiveness council see this as a dire issue affecting businesses in Saint Lucia, and it is something that we need to address right away because it will contribute to lesser productive businesses and also to the uncompetitiveness of the private sector… So we’re urging the private sector to get involved to be a part of the solution. It only takes five minutes to participate in this evidence-based approach,” the minister concluded.