The World Bank has announced that it will soon conduct a survey in Antigua and Barbuda focused on the business sector.
Alongside Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) are expected to be conducted over the coming months with publication of those findings expected in the first quarter of 2025.
The Enterprise Surveys are conducted by the bank and its partners across all geographic regions of the world and cover small, medium, and large companies. They aim to provide insight into various matters such as access to finance, corruption, infrastructure, and performance.
The data and findings are intended to help policymakers identify and implement policy reforms and support institutions to foster greater economic activity within the private sector.
The last Enterprise Survey for Antigua and Barbuda was in 2010 and highlighted factors such as the percentage of losses due to theft, robbery, vandalism, and arson when compared to sales within a business, along with security costs, the regulatory environment in the country, and the level of corporate corruption.
The survey will also look into the number of water and electricity outages and other infrastructural challenges in the country relating to the business sector.
The World Bank noted that over 219,000 firms in 159 economies have been surveyed to date, with emerging economies being the primary focus and a few developed economies surveyed for comparative purposes.
Panama-based market research company, Mercaplan, in collaboration with Hope Research, is expected to lead the execution of the survey.
