Blog

Last week (April 20-22) Caribbean Export moved ahead with charting their new path of support with the Surinamese private sector. 

An intensive three-day mission to Suriname to advance programming quickly came on the heels of the recently held discussions with the high-level delegation that visited Caribbean Export’s Headquarters in Barbados on April 7, 2022. 

The Caribbean Export team followed-up discussions with H.E Rishma Kuldipsingh – Minister of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation and H.E. Parmanand Sewdien -Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries and their respective teams.  During the mission, the team also met with officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the Ministry of Finance, the Suriname Trade and Industry Association and others to discuss priority areas in agriculture, trade and investment.  

Caribbean Export agreed on several areas of support, including commissioning a study of the export potential for the poultry industry, advancing discussions on the first ever Suriname Virtual Investment Forum, Market Intelligence Training for Business Support Organisations and assistance for their Creatives Industries Forum in November 2022. The team members also shared their expert advice on packaging investment opportunities and the Suriname Investment & Trade Agency’s products. 

Dr. Damie Sinanan, Manager of Competitiveness and Export Promotion expressed satisfaction at the level of progress made during the short visit and shared that ‘new programming initiatives focused on building the capacity of the Surinamese private sector would be executed as early as July 2022’.   

The technical team led by Dr. Damie Sinanan included Suzette Hudson, Senior Advisor- Investment Promotion and Mikaela Stoute– Research Officer. 

Follow Caribbean Export on Twitter for updates. 

“We are excited to ramp up collaboration with Suriname to improve the export competitiveness of its private sector as well as attract foreign direct investment to the country.” says Mr. Deodat Maharaj – Executive Director of Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export).

Mr. Maharaj made these remarks, on April 7, 2022, as Caribbean Export welcomed a high-level delegation from Suriname led by HE Albert R Ramdin – Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation to its headquarters at Baobab Towers, Bridgetown, Barbados.

The delegation also comprised HE Armand Achaibersingh – Minister of Finance and Planning and HE Parmanand Sewdien – Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries as well as members of the Surinamese diplomatic corps and private sector representatives.

It was agreed that Caribbean Export will provide support to Suriname in several key areas in the coming 6 to 8 months. These include assistance to strengthen the investment promotion capacity; direct support to business enterprises; support to the creative sector and in market requirements to enable penetration of new markets.

To fast-track this collaboration, it was decided that a technical mission from Caribbean Export will visit Suriname the week of April 18- 22, 2022.

On behalf of Suriname, Minister Ramdin thanked Caribbean Export for the constructive engagement and agreed on the path forward, noting that “Caribbean Export is highly necessary … as we are trying to reboot our economy [and] export is a major part of that.” He continued, “…there are several ways that Caribbean Export can support Suriname’s private sector… in technical assistance, information sharing, on the ground assistance as well as assistance with organising our export promotion agency.”

The Caribbean Export Development Agency remains committed to engaging with its stakeholders and providing targeted support to meet the needs of the private sector.

To this end, Services Specialist, Allyson Francis, led a Caribbean Export team to engage with various stakeholders, learn more about their specific needs and outline available initiatives and programmes.

The Honourable Michael Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs met with the Caribbean Export team and engaged in fruitful, in-depth discussions which focused on the cultural and creative sectors and addressed the potential opportunities for digitizing Bahamian fashion as a viable avenue for export.

During the March 30 meeting, the Minister also expressed interest in collaborating in the priority areas of energy management, agritech, food security and the blue economy.

Discussions were also held with the Director of Culture on potential fashion initiatives, and Business Support Organizations including the Small Business Development Center and the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation to discuss support for the private sector.

Other highlights of the visit included the 2- day Market Intelligence workshop which had over 30 registrants, the Business of Music Closing Ceremony which was attended by the Minister of Culture, Honourable Mario K Bowleg and Honourable Michael Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs and several visits to the Agency’s grant beneficiaries (DSGP and TAP) including D’vanya’s Manufacturing, Limeade Bahamas and Pulpy Frozen Desserts.

Ms Francis said of the week-long mission, March 28- April 1 2022, “It has been great listening to all of our stakeholders and discussing areas of focused support. I’m excited that they will coordinate and collaborate to develop a cohesive plan that will create vital export opportunities for the Bahamian private sector.”

The mission team, which was led by Services Specialist, Allyson Francis, included: Tonya Cummins- Programme Advisor- Grants, Mikaela Stoute- Research Officer and Deidre Brathwaite- Digital and Social Media Officer.

From April 4, 2022, the team travelled to St. Kitts and Nevis. 

Follow the Caribbean Export on Twitter for updates as they happen.

In 2010 Caribbean Export in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) launched the modular programme ProNET.

Originally geared towards manufacturing enterprises who want to develop their business and become more competitive, with nine modules in business strategy, quality management, production,  product development, knowledge management, human resource management and financial management, the ProNET programme has since been expanded with a new module focused on energy management and renewable energy.

The programme is based on an Experiential Learning Methodology, and is a case study based and driven by practical examples and assignments using techniques such as group work and structured learning exercises, open-ended discussion, brainstorming sessions and field work.

We are now looking to review the course and update it according to your needs.

If you’ve participated in a ProNET course your input is very important to us and invite you to complete this survey.

We appreciate your time and your feedback!

Young Caribbean fashion designer and entrepreneur Christal Oliver describes herself as “creative, industrious, and witty”.

She could also add “resilient” to that list after managing to keep her small accessories business operational for the past 12 years despite severe disruptions caused by tropical storms, a global pandemic, and the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano on her home island of St Vincent.

Christal and her small enterprise have been understandably shaken by these recent events and she admits that it is currently “a struggle” to keep going while everything remains so uncertain.

She is also dealing with a major change in her personal life after becoming a first-time mother in October 2020 to a baby boy called Zephan.

“I am 16 months into motherhood (post-delivery),” Christal says. “So, that has been a major readjustment for me personally.

“There were times I heavily questioned the way forward. What do I do with the business? Do I work alone or continue as is? Do I change the products? Do I consider design and trade, instead of designing, producing, and selling?

“So, I’m just trying to restructure, and basically start over, or even rebrand, but even that has been difficult. The future is just so much more uncertain these days”.

As a fledgling business owner, Christal has obviously faced many uncertainties before. In fact, even though she started on the road to entrepreneurship from early on in life, she was actually considering becoming a pediatrician or a chef.

“Entrepreneurship was never in my mind,” Christal explains. “But, since I was young, I’ve always been making or selling something, or hand sewing some random craft project.

“Then in late 2009, I was working as a lab technician at my alma mater (the St. Vincent Girls’ High School). During the downtime, because I couldn’t find any bags in Kingstown that matched my needs and taste, I decided to buy all the material and make a bag myself. The finished product got many compliments and it got me thinking. I made a small investment in a domestic Singer sewing machine, and that’s what led to me finding a way to turn my passion into income and opportunities.”

Christal had found her calling and says she never saw designing or sewing as “work” but initially she only sold her creations to friends and family.

“The start of the business wasn’t grand at all,” she recalls. “I just experimented with fabrics and designs and practiced. I would tear apart existing bags to figure things out. I also did a lot of reading and researching and sold most of the final products to people close to me.

“I even had a challenging time coming up with a name!”.

Olive Art Designs (OAD) was the one she eventually chose; utilising her own surname as inspiration. At the start, OAD was a slow-burning passion project but after 2017, when Christal decided to commit to the business full-time, it steadily grew it into a distinctly Vincentian brand with a reputation for superior design, attention to detail, and exceptional quality.

Christal’s influence on her island as an aspirational entrepreneur also advanced over the years, and was further underpinned in 2019 when she won the inaugural Invest SVG ‘Pitch it Vincy’ initiative, with the help of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, which assisted her through workshops.

Christal describes that experience as “one of the proudest achievements” in her life so far. She adds: “This journey has not been easy but it has been a lot of fun. I’ve learned a lot of lessons and there’s some I’m still learning.”

Right now, Christal is continuing to settle into her role as a new mum, and keeps her finger on the pulse with her other occupation as a morning radio co-host on the ‘Wake Up Call’ on Xtreme 104.3FM.

Christal says she loves being a radio personality because it’s a “really fun but challenging job”.

She states: “Although the shift is only four hours long, there is a lot of talk. Being on the radio gives me the opportunity to air my views, to understand our people better, and to make a positive impact. It’s a really exciting job that adds to my personal and professional growth.”

In terms of Olive Art Designs, Christal is hopeful that by repositioning the business, and utilising new avenues for marketing and exposure, as well as revenue, she will be able to keep the brand fresh and exciting for her and her customers.

Currently, Christal employs one person on a “needs-only basis” but has plans to expand and improve productivity and increase regional exports. She pivoted into producing facemasks because of the COVID-19 pandemic and says that transition taught her the importance of keeping an open mind.

Christal adds: “It wasn’t all bad because as there was a reduced demand for one product, demand for other products increased, so it was just a matter of shifting focus really.

“The trouble with the pandemic was all the uncertainty it came with, of what was to come, and the constant repositioning. But I’m happy for the hands-on experience it gave me, especially in terms of figuring out what things are really important in life and business, and which businesses, or even models, are more vulnerable and how to best position yourself for any eventuality.”

And Christal has this advice for would-be Caribbean entrepreneurs.

“Your mindset can be the difference between success and failure, so be patient and persistent.”

She adds: “Sign up with your local business support organisation and take short courses if necessary, or take advantage of workshops, even if they look like they don’t apply to you. Never stop learning. There’s always something to learn.

“Be passionate about what you’re doing because that will give you an extra push when you feel like giving up. Plan and write down your goals so that you can measure your progress and success. Be creative and keep moving forward.”

Suriname – located in the north-eastern coast of South America, is one of the fifteen countries that make up CARIFORUM and has been the location for our executive team this week.

Our Executive Director, Deodat Maharaj together with Damie Sinanan, Manager for Competitiveness and Export Promotion held high-level meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business & International Cooperation – Min. Albert Ramchand Ramdin; the Min. of Finance and Planning – Armand Achibersing and the Minister of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation – Min. Saskia Walden (MBA, CFE) to present the new strategic direction of the Agency and build relations to support private sector development in Suriname.

Caribbean Export, with funding from the European Union has been providing support to Suriname.   Since 2017, some 187 people from Suriname have participated in Caribbean Export activities and over US$147K has been awarded to businesses via our various grant programmes so far.  As we look to build business, transform lives for a stronger Caribbean, investment is a critical requirement to realise our vision.  As such, the facilitation of a Suriname Virtual Investment Summit has been proposed and may well be on the cards soon.

Dr Sinanan also met with several stakeholders on the ground including De Associatie van Surinaamse Fabrikanten (ASFA), Vereniging Surinaams Bedrijfsleven (VSB) and the Suriname Business Development Center in an effort to expand the reach of our interventions with more Surinamese firms in the future.

Caribbean Export continues to work assiduously to strengthen our relationships with key stakeholders and foster new partnerships that can expand our portfolio of services to support private sector development, the transformation of our economies and the creation of jobs for our people.

St Lucian entrepreneur Gidden Augustin always dreamed of starting his own company after growing up on his parents’ farm and seeing his father manage the family business.

Gidden initially considered a career as an architect but was “bitten by the IT bug” after completing his ‘A’ Levels in 1992 and landing his first job at Caribbean conglomerate J.Q. Charles Ltd.

“J.Q. Charles was the second largest enterprise in St Lucia at the time after the government,” Gidden recalls.

“I worked in the fledgling IT department and helped to create and deploy the first Point-of-Sale system while we were computerising our processes and moving over from the old-fashioned cash registers. I had a good boss who inspired me, working with him really got me interested in IT.”

Four years later, Gidden left his job to study Computer Science at the University of West Indies. He graduated with first class honours in 1999 and returned to J.Q. Charles as a Systems Administrator while building up his IT consultancy portfolio.

“I actually drew the logo for my business when I was still employed at J.Q. Charles because I knew that I did not want to spend my whole life being an employee,” Gidden says.

“I was doing consultancy as a side business until 2005 when I went off on my own. I have to say that the first six months were rough, because I did not have an established client base, and I regularly asked myself “what was I thinking?”. But eventually I got more clients through word-of-mouth.”

Gidden slowly built up a reputation for excellence through personal recommendations and officially registered his company, called ‘islandTEK’, in 2011.

Some of islandTEK’s main services include wired and wireless network design; PBX system design; CCTV installation and maintenance; onsite and remote IT support; PC maintenance and repairs; and IT and project management consultancy.

Gidden, and his two part-time employees, aim to supply customers with “high quality, value-added technology solutions that enhance their productivity and competitiveness, and drive strategic business growth.”

He adds: “We provide a service package that is custom-made and tailored to the clients’ specific needs. Part of our ethos is that we do not compete on price but we compete on quality. So, we are not the cheapest but when we offer a solution it’s for life. It’s a permanent solution; not a stop gap.”

Over the years, Gidden has worked with large and small residential and commercial clients, government departments, and international agencies.

One of his proudest achievements to date was serving as a consultant IT manager for the International Cricket Council (ICC) at the 2007 Cricket World Cup and the 2010 World T20 Cup in St Lucia. The St Lucia Ministry of Agriculture, St Lucia Distillers Ltd, and the Saint Lucia Air & Sea Ports Authority are also listed among some of islandTEK’s customers.

Gidden’s long-term goal is to position islandTEK as “the go-to, high-end IT services company in the region”. He also aims to enhance his export capabilities after attending various workshops hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency, including the ‘Services Go Global (SGG) programme,’ which empowered him to “rethink my vision for the company and create a draft export plan”.

In 2018, Gidden was selected by Caribbean Export to be part of a three-member delegation from St Lucia to attend the 8th Annual ALES Convention in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This event created networking opportunities with Latin American countries and opened his eyes to what it would take to become a global player in the ICT and services sector.

Gidden has also been involved in the INTERREG Trade Enhancement for the Eastern Caribbean (TEECA) programme which is facilitated by the Chamber of Commerce in Martinique, the OECS Commission, and Caribbean Export.

He states: “TEECA encourages businesses in the OECS to do more business with companies in the French Caribbean territories and we’re making some good connections with French companies through that programme.”

Despite a recent slowdown in large-scale projects because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gidden is hopeful that several initiatives in the pipeline will get under way in 2022. He says his short-term goal for the new year is to “get back into the black” and hire two more highly-trained employees.

Gidden’s advice to Caribbean business owners, especially during this uncertain time, is “keep the faith” and “don’t give up”.

He adds: “Always go for small wins because that keeps your morale up and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer because eventually someone will say ‘yes’!”

Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its forecast for global growth in 2022, projecting a revised figure of 4.4% which is a 0.5% reduction from the estimate it made in October 2021. It is expected that the developing world will be most affected by this contraction.

This news from the IMF comes whilst the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the global economy and wreak havoc in our region as it enters its third year. Simultaneously, the clock is ticking on action to tackle the climate crisis. The steps we take now will determine how our region will evolve in response to these urgent challenges shaping the global trade landscape.

In short, the world is changing fast and so must we. Given the clear emergence of new powerhouse economies in places like Asia, we need to create new opportunities in these new times, whilst consolidating existing markets.

Since independence, the Caribbean has relied on traditional markets for goods and services, focused largely on the United States (US), European Union (EU) and Canada. According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), the CARIFORUM Caribbean’s (CARICOM and the Dominican Republic) largest export market in 2020 was the US, with an export value of approximately US$10.583 billion, followed by the EU, valued at US$2.8 billion in the same year. We buy more than we sell in these markets, according to ITC data. Consequently, we remain acutely vulnerable to changes in the economies of these major trading partners.

It is evident that Asia is a new global growth pole, with some claiming that this is the Asian century. We have a well-established commercial relationship with China, but there are other big opportunities on the continent. For example, India, like China, belongs to the world’s largest 20 economies or the G20 group. However, our exports to India and a market of over 1.4 billion people amounted to an estimated US$413.4 million in 2020.

Similarly, Indonesia, another G20 country and the world’s fourth largest country in terms of population, with an estimated 270 million people receives a paltry US$23.8 million in exports from CARIFORUM countries, according to the ITC. Both India and Indonesia offer opportunity, as well as the lucrative Japanese market.

Rising Africa offers huge trade potential. Yet, despite historical and cultural ties, in 2020 CARIFORUM countries exported just US$595.4 million to Africa.

However, we cannot only look to non-traditional markets in Asia and Africa. We need to look right next door as well and intensify trade with neighbouring countries in Latin America. In 2020, we exported US$4.6 billion, but imported US$8.9 billion the same year. Latin America represents a good possibility for CARIFORUM exporters, particularly in the services sector, including tourism, given that Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico are also G20 countries.

There are some clear steps required to enter or grow in these new markets. For distant and large markets, we need to accept that branding as individual jurisdictions will produce sub-optimal results. Therefore, our countries need to pool resources and promote “Brand Caribbean” or goods and services that are “Absolutely Caribbean”. Having worked in both Asia and Africa, my experience is that with some exceptions, we are simply not well known as individual jurisdictions in much of Asia and Africa. A “Brand Caribbean” positions us much better.

Governments have a vital role to play in advancing the trade and investment agenda of our region. This includes a stronger focus on economic diplomacy, ensuring missions prioritise trade and investment. To make inroads in these new markets, it is essential for us to pool resources and organise joint diplomatic missions with a focus on trade and investment in these countries. The cost of having separate and individual overseas representation is just too high for most of our countries. The CARICOM decision to establish a CARICOM mission in Kenya is a good example and a step in the right direction.

At the end of the day these steps will not yield the maximum results unless we support the establishment of business-to-business linkages with these new markets. Our business support organisations such as chambers of commerce and exporters association have a valuable role to play connecting with their counterparts in Asia and Latin America. It is about businesspeople connecting with their peers. Finally, we need to ramp up our collection of data to give a more in-depth understanding of the trading opportunities in key and niche sectors.

In summary, 2022 must be the year of action. Doing nothing or more of the same cannot be an option. Our people deserve better, and our emphasis must be to create jobs and opportunities for them.

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) will finance a marketing consultancy to enhance the competitiveness of Jamaican coffee exporters in the European Union (EU) market.

The initiative was developed following a meeting between Jamaica’s Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Symone Betton Nayo and Deodat Maharaj, Executive Director of the Caribbean Export.

The first phase of the consultancy will focus on an analysis of the EU coffee market, including market entry requirements and the penetration strategies of other major coffee exporters to the EU. The second phase will focus on developing a targeted marketing strategy for the EU coffee market.

The initiative will address issues raised at a meeting in May 2021 between Jamaican, Belgian and other EU coffee stakeholders about the need for a marketing strategy in the EU. Participants requested that the strategy provides guidance on sustainability, telling the story of the product and ways to appeal to young people, a growing EU consumer base.

The initiative is funded by the European Union under the 11th EDF Regional Private Sector Development programme.

The Jamaica Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will host a launch event for this initiative on 27 January 2022, from 10 – 11 AM EST. The Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Her Excellency, Ambassador Symone Betton-Nayo, Deodat Maharaj and other key partners will participate in the event. The consultant, Windward Commodities will present a proposed review of the EU coffee market.