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News report: BCCEC's Business Readiness Expo to increase ease of doing business

  • BCCEC
  • 3 hours ago
  • 2 min read

Published by Youri Kemp, The Nassau Guardian, January 8, 2026


The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) upcoming Business Readiness Expo tomorrow will put entrepreneurs in a better position to start their businesses.


Dr. Leo Rolle, executive director of the BCCEC, told Guardian Business yesterday: “We at the Chamber believe that we have a level of responsibility to teach entrepreneurs – especially those fledgling entrepreneurs – the principles, the ideals, and the wherewithal that helps them get to the next level.


“So, from fledgling entrepreneur to what we consider a serial entrepreneur, and one of the things that the business community continues to alert us to is that there is an unease of doing business in the country. That’s for a number of reasons, but one primary reason is the disjuncted processes that entrepreneurs have to go through, not only to get a business license, but to get things done. When you think about clearing products and services, about paying taxes, about getting basic needs like water and sewage, about getting help with financial statements, about getting help with grants, business plan vetting, and business plan writing, all of these aspects are the lifeblood of a business or an entrepreneur. So what the BCCEC decided to do was curate an event that allows for all of these various stakeholders to be in one centralized location and accessible to entrepreneurs in real time.


He continued: “So that then means an entrepreneur should be able to walk through the door and start the process of getting their business license. And you have town planning, you have the National Insurance Board, you have the Department of Inland Revenue, you have the Small Business Development Centre, you have all of these different agencies under one roof.


“It’s only for a couple of hours a day, but you’re able to speak to 15 to 20 different agencies to get what you need done.”


Rolle also said: “This is important to us, because we hear the cry every year of entrepreneurs who have to muddle through the process of one, paying taxes to remain compliant, and two, getting help with financial statements, vetting financial statements, using the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants, and looking for help with compliance.


“So what we wanted to do was have this environment where all of these different stakeholders within the context of the business community are able to provide that measure of support to an entrepreneur in real time.


“So this Friday is near and dear to us, and what we intend to do is ensure that it happens before the tax and business license renewal season, or in the peak of it, and we also want to ensure that it happens annually.


“We’ve heard the cries of entrepreneurs, and even seasoned entrepreneurs, who a lot of times have issues with the processes and the procedures of getting licenses renewed, paying taxes, being up to date, and being compliant. And so, by providing this avenue, this outlet, so to speak, for entrepreneurs to be able to get all of these services done, we are then doing our part to increase the ease of doing business, while hopefully alleviating some of the costs of doing business in the country.”






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