Above: CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The private sector is a critical partner in building the Caribbean Community, said CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque in a meeting in Bridgetown yesterday.

LaRocque met with representatives of the Barbados Private Sector Wednesday, as part of a four-day trip in which he has met with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Foreign Minister Maxine McClean.

He said a key focus area was building competitiveness in the region, so that the private sector could take advantage of regional trade deals.

John Williams, head of the Barbados Private Sector Association, said business had taken over the integration movement, given the growth of pan-Caribbean firms.

But regulatory framework in the region had not developed in tandem with that growth, he said.