Ladies and Gentlemen The latest budget has underscored the importance of public-private sector partnerships in the transformation of our economy. It has proposed a new financing mechanism through the Junior Stock Exchange and has again offered Government facilitation to gain entry into new export markets. It is high time that we stop talking about diversification and actually start doing it.
The economy continued to grow by 7.2 percent in 2013. This performance beat market expectations and the Government’s target of 6–7 percent for the year. Inflation was at the low end of the Government’s target range of 3–5 percent. Meanwhile, our banks remained a source of strength as the system’s balance sheets stayed solid.