Coping in COVID: STEP Barbados Champions Digitisation

The COVID-19 pandemic will herald the worst economic contraction in the history of Latin American and the Caribbean, with a projected -5.3 per cent drop in activity this year, according to a recent report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Amidst growing concerns as to the economic fall out from the COVID-19 crisis and the need for identifying mechanisms for navigating such challenges, calls have intensified within the Caribbean, for accelerated implementation of initiatives designed to protect lives and livelihoods.

In a time where lockdowns are the new normal, STEP Barbados recognises that in order to be sustainable in this new paradigm, business continuity measures must be effective. Digitisation of businesses and government agencies can no longer be growth initiatives designed to attract a millennial demographic but a core necessity for business continuity – or rather, business functionality.

The Chairperson of STEP Barbados Branch, Tara Frater, recently shared guidance on practical measures which could be adopted in the public and private sectors in Barbados.

The Branch’s thought leadership was published in the Barbados Business Authority and can be found here.