The Bahamas Investor

...Among other things, the EPA calls for the creation of a standards bureau. Laing says legislation pertaining to a weights and measures bureau has already been passed. He points out that there’s already several standard-setting bodies scattered among various government agencies within the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Marine Resources and the Ministry of Works. “This is one of the areas where major legislative c......

...ce Ministers from the Commonwealth nations pose for a group photograph in Washington DC on September 21, 2011. State Minister for Finance Zhivargo Laing is pictured front row on the left.......

...to seek out how to get the most out of your engagement,” advises Zhivargo Laing, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance. “You can’t be too wide in spreading your net, otherwise, you may not get the benefit of what it is you’re trying to do. We tend to use existing forums where we have opportunities to have targeted meetings and talk about issues that might be of common interest for us,” Laing continues. “That [might] relate to the signing o......

...will lead to some job creation and broader financial gains,” says Zhivargo Laing, Minister of State for Finance in the Ministry of Finance. Although stressing that gains will only be modest, Laing sites various government-led initiatives as being significant in underpinning growth, particularly in the construction sector. “A contract for the construction of a new government office complex in Freeport has been awarded to FES Construction Co Ltd. Th......

...bert A Minnis, leader of the opposition; Sir Arthur; Senator Heather Hunt; Senator Zhivargo Laing; and Senator James Kwasi Thompson. Senator Thomas Desmond Bannister receives his Instrument of Appointment. Senator Zhivargo Sean Laing receives his Instrument of Appointment. Senator James Kwasi Thompson receives with his Instrument of Appointment. Senator Heather Leanne Hunt receives her Instrument of Appointment.......

...re not concerned about the nomenclature of our economic efforts,” explains Laing. “We’re concerned to have genuine, meaningful and a varied group of economic enterprises that help an island’s economy realize its potential—creating good, sustainable jobs that are not negatively impacting on the environment of that island.” Opportunities exist for small boutique hotels and supporting business ventures in areas of the country that have as yet been un......

...o waste.” That was the message from Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing as he spoke at the 21st annual Bahamas Business Outlook, held at the Wyndham Nassau resort yesterday. The minister was referring to the worldwide global financial crisis which, he says, The Bahamas weathered well thanks to considerable economic momentum going into the recession. Bolstered by construction projects such as the Baha Mar mega resort and the Albany develop......

...and companies receive and make payments for goods and services,” explained Laing. “A payment system is essentially a set of instruments, procedures and rules for the transfer of funds among system participants. Disruptions in a system, or the total failure of a system, pose a threat to the stability of the financial system.” A safe and efficient payment system, Laing said, is critical to the effective and smooth functioning of any financial jurisd......

...mation for analysis and policy making. When these developments are complete, The Bahamas will be one of the most advanced e-government jurisdictions in the region and will have greatly enhanced its economy and competitiveness. Bio: Zhivargo Laing Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Zhivargo Laing was sworn in as the Free National Movement (FNM) representative in the House of Assembly for the Marco City constituency in 2007. He graduated f......

...ct and pay individual experts or consulting firms needed to help put in place a comprehensive new business support framework for SMEs. Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Zhivargo Laing (left) and IDB Bahamas representative Astrid Wynter exchange agreements on SME development. (Click picture to enlarge)......

...neva September 2010, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Zhivargo Laing noted that WTO accession was an “important component” in the government’s programme of national economic development. The government, he said, looked forward to concluding its negotiations on WTO accession “in an orderly and timely manner.” At the meeting, which marked the beginning of the “active”?phase of the accession process, the working party’s chair, Jamaica’s P......

...re not concerned about the nomenclature of our economic efforts,” explains Laing. “We’re concerned to have genuine, meaningful and a varied group of economic enterprises that help an island’s economy realize its potential—creating good, sustainable jobs that are not negatively impacting on the environment of that island.” Opportunities exist for small boutique hotels and supporting business ventures in areas of the country that have as yet been un......

...s Outlook last week, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Zhivargo Laing said that the new board would be a partnership between the government, the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce. Its duties will include promoting investment in Grand Bahama, examining business procedures and creating strategies for growth and development. “The idea is to create an entity whose sole job is to figure out how to ma......

State Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Zhivargo Laing, and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) representative Astrid Wynter have signed a $612,000 technical co-operation grant to help strengthen The Bahamas’ fiscal policy. The resources were provided by the Japan Special Fund to the IDB. Japanese Ambassador to The Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, also signed the documents. The government’s contribution to the project is $153,......

...t the time, the then Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Zhivargo Laing quickly engaged with a range of countries in order to put in place the requisite number of international Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) to keep the jurisdiction compliant. “It became very clear that if a jurisdiction does not act quickly and put all the required agreements in place, it is going to get left behind,” Laing said at the time. “Offshore financ......