Now is the time for Malta to transform as we have spent far too long in the shadow of our neighbours and competitors. As we enter one of the most crucial times in local, European, and global politics, we must ensure that we are always one step ahead of the game.

Now is not the time for us to relax and bask in our success, nor is it the time to become complacent and think that we have achieved all that we can. The growth and success of our country is not something that we can just sit back and enjoy – it is something that we must fight for, plan for, strategise for, and pioneer for.

The only sure-fire way that we can ensure the success of our country in every way, is by welcoming a new government with a clear plan of action that will catapult Malta leaps and bounds ahead of its nearest opponents.

It is all very well and good to have a repertoire of buzzwords, catchy phrases, and sound bites, but what we really need is a quantifiable strategy to implement the changes needed to enhance our local industries. I propose the development and implementation of Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) across all sectors that will allow us to identify issues, address them, and then to create solutions, that will ensure we remain on the right track for generations to come.

Our industries and business sectors need to be continually reinventing themselves in accordance with global trends, demands, and projections

Our industries and business sectors need to be continually reinventing themselves in accordance with global trends, demands, and projections, and this is how I intend on doing it.

ITM’s will seek to bring together the applicable industry partners, trade associations and chambers, unions, public agencies, and private sector entities, to ensure that each individual industry has access to all of the knowledge and support it needs to thrive. An example being there are several promising industries in Malta that are not realising their full potential due to a lack of access to global opportunities and rapidly-advancing technology.

ITMs for these sectors will allow companies to upgrade their capabilities which in turn will enable them to grasp the opportunities presented to them, and ultimately create more jobs. We need to ensure that we are adequately exploring all the opportunities that present themselves when similar industries come together. By ensuring the ITMs adopt a cluster approach, we ensure that synergies are maximised, which will lead to the identification of both horizontal and vertical integration opportunities.

If we can leverage on skill adjacencies between industries, e.g. the food services and hospitality sectors which use similar skill-sets, we can build stronger, more adaptable approaches to business, as well as identifying new prospects and creating more jobs.

Malta needs to keep reinventing itself and it must not ever become complacent at its success. We, the people must be constantly looking for ways to improve and better ourselves and we need a government that supports that, rather than just their own short-term interests.

We must not let this chance pass us by to change the direction. If we miss, we will feel the consequences.

Ivan Bartolo is a Nationalist Party candidate on the 9th district.  He is currently the Managing Director of Idox Health (formerly 6pm).

www.bartoloivan.com

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