News

• Caribbean Export Development Agency has developed an online registry for the Caribbean based services suppliers.
• The CE Services Registry will enable Caribbean suppliers to be found by regional and international audiences.
• Listed services suppliers to gain greater exposure and opportunities in export markets.
• Caribbean service providers are encouraged to be listed to enhance their legitimacy.
• Registration can trigger new collaborations and partnerships as firms are able to identify other companies or practitioners with skills sets that they currently lack but that would enhance and extend their business offering.  

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has expanded its CE-Intelligence Portal to include a registry of Caribbean based service providers in its CE Services Registry.

UNCTAD has reported that internationally, in many developing states, Services exports rapidly grew, between 2005 and 2018 at a rate of 7.6 per cent annually. Additionally, services’ direct contribution to exports in developing countries grew from 14 to 17 per cent between 2005 and 2018. The services sectors also offer significant opportunities in terms of increased exports which can enhance the competitiveness of the region and stimulate economic development.

According to the International Trade Centre (ITC) CARIFORUM exports of services amounted to over one hundred million over the period 2014-2018. Despite the importance of services, many CARIFORUM states are yet to fully explore its potential.

“This is an important and fast-moving sector with services businesses contributing on average approximately 69 percent of GDP in CARIFORUM States, providing many new opportunities,” said S.H. Allyson Francis, Services Specialist at Caribbean Export. “The registry will allow Caribbean Export to have greater knowledge of the actors in the sector for business to business linkages and better craft interventions for technical and capacity building in the services sector. Our hope is that the CE Services Registry will serve as a pooled data source for the CARIFORUM Services Sector.”

Caribbean Export recognised that there was no central location for people to find services providers in the Caribbean.  Further, in order to truly leverage the benefits of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement) regional services providers may need to prove they are a registered service provider to prospective clients or even whilst attempting to provide their service across borders.   

The CE Services Registry enables those seeking services to easily search and find services providers by location, professional accreditations and industry.  Further, it presents services providers with a suite of useful resources to support them to trade their services across borders with export guides, information on trade laws and trade agreements.

“We recognise that the success of the registry relies on the quality of the information and service providers listed.  We are working with our partners to reach those providers in country and once we have a critical mass we will embark on a promotional campaign so that it becomes the ‘go-to’ space to find service providers in the Caribbean”.

Whilst the CE Services Registry is available for all CARIFORUM based services providers to register, Caribbean Export has partnered with the Coalition of Services Providers in Barbados, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago initially.

Caribbean Export encourages services providers to visit and register at http://services.ceintelligence.com/ in order to increase recognition and visibility, discover new collaborations or partnership and potentially gain more clients through the sites increased promotion.

• Naledo Belize Inc secures ‘New Food Product of the Year’ prize at leading food event
• Food Matters Live 2020 connects food producers from around the world
• Annual expo was held virtually this year because of COVID-19 pandemic

Caribbean company Naledo overcame fierce competition to win the ‘New Food Product of the Year’ award at Food Matters Live 2020, a prestigious international food event in the UK.

Belizean-based Naledo manufactures the world’s first wildcrafted, whole root turmeric paste as well as fresh juices blended with turmeric.

The social enterprise, which was founded by Umeeda Switlo in 2016, works directly with small-scale growers based in Toledo, Belize.

The Food Matters Live judging panel commended all five finalists in the new products category for their “innovation”.

Nutritionist Freya Strutt, from Chartwells Nutritionist Team, explained why the judges gave Naledo the top prize. She said: “The shortlist was really strong with lots of really good products and it’s exciting to see where the market is going in terms of new food products.

“But one winner was clear in terms of taste, usability, and the whole enterprise around the product itself. I congratulate them on their business.”

After hearing the exciting news, Umeeda Switlo said: “Naledo would like to thank Caribbean Export and the European Union for making sure we could attend the virtual event.

“Thank you to team Belize and all our growers; Spice farm, Texbell, Silk Grass and our distributors Ecoideas in Canada, UNFI in America, and Circle R in Belize. Thanks also to Marie Sharpe for her support and the Government of Belize.

“We couldn’t have achieved this without our Belizean team and our wonderful customers around the world.”

Naledo’s turmeric paste comes in four sizes and two flavours and is currently sold in over 1,000 retailers in Canada, Belize, America and the Bahamas.

The paste is sustainably produced from the forest to the table without any agricultural inputs. This creates a product that is exceptional in terms of taste and with minimal impact on the environment.

Naledo pays its farmers 28 times more than the average turmeric grower and this enables them to invest in education, health care, improved nutrition, and building a better future for their families and communities.

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has announced the launch of its first virtual expo event named ‘Absolutely Caribbean, unlocking the profit potential of the Caribbean’.  Taking place on 17^th and 18^th November 2020, the event will bring together around 50 producers to showcase some of the best products that the Caribbean has to offer. 

“We’re really excited to be organising our first virtual expo. We have seen a growing trend for Caribbean food, beverages and natural products across Europe in the last few years which presents a real opportunity for us.  In the UK alone, Caribbean food is now estimated to be worth £97m[1] with the number of Caribbean restaurants in the last year having grown by 144%[2],” comments Dr. Damie Sinanan, Manager of Competitiveness and Export Promotion from Caribbean Export.

Attendees will have the chance to book slots to meet with producers from a variety of categories including sauces and condiments; alcoholic drinks; natural, plant-based products and nutraceuticals.  There will also be a presentation by European consumer goods and retail experts to discuss the latest insights on these fast-moving consumer goods within the UK, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

Caribbean Export has partnered with Shaun and Craig McAnuff of Original Flava for the event who have found great success with their Caribbean food and lifestyle platform and recently released their first cookbook of authentic Jamaican recipes.  With an increase in demand for Caribbean sauces and condiments across Europe, the duo will host a live session to show how versatile these products are, including a cooking demonstration.

The event is also supported by the West Indies Rum & Spirit Producer’s Association (WIRSPA), who represent distillers’ associations from across the ACP Caribbean[3] and will be hosting a session on premium alcoholic drinks from the Caribbean in collaboration with the Rum and Spirits Academy of Europe.

The online event is a joint venture between Caribbean Export, the European Commission and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and has been launched off the back of a successful three-day trade show and conference which took place in Germany last year.

For more information about the event and to register, please visit  –http://expo.absolutelycaribbean.com/about.html

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[1] Grocery – IRI December 2017

[2] CGA August 2019

[3] ACP stands for ‘Africa, Caribbean and Pacific’. The ACP Caribbean states are the countries that are signatories of the Lomé Convention signed in 1975. This was superseded by the Cotonou Agreement in June 2000.

• Four Caribbean brands to join international innovators in the food ingredients market
• Caribbean brands aiming to take advantage of increase in demand for natural products
• Caribbean Export supports CARIFORUM firms participating in Food Matters Live
• Global natural food and drink market estimated to reach $191.9 million (US) by 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand from health-conscious consumers for natural products made with pure and simple ingredients. In 2016, the global natural food and drinks market was valued at $79.1 million (US) and by 2023 is estimated to reach $191.9 million (US)- a compound annual growth rate of 17.6%.[1] This presents an excellent opportunity for Caribbean suppliers operating in the natural products space.

On October 13th-14th 2020, Caribbean Export, in collaboration with the European Union, is supporting four Caribbean producers participating in this years’ Food Matters Live – a leading food, health and nutrition event.

“We were concerned that this event would not go ahead due to the current pandemic, so, we are pleased that it will still be held virtually.   Food Matters Live is an innovative exhibition, bringing together essential players in the food and drinks market across the world. We believe Caribbean brands will be able to leverage this chance to showcase their products and get people talking about what they have to offer” explained Dr. Damie Sinanan – Manager for Competitiveness and Export Promotion at Caribbean Export.

Food Matters Live attracts an unrivalled range of brands, retailers and food services companies and offers a curated experience for participants.  Funded by the European Union via the 11^th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme, the regional companies taking part are Caribbean Cure from Trinidad and Tobago; Shavuot International and Cold Bush Organics from Jamaica; and Belizean company Naledo which manufactures the world’s first turmeric paste. 

“Since the global pandemic, we’ve experienced a surge in demand for our natural healthy products from our international customers. At our core we are always ‘Harvesting Goodness for our consumers, communities and our team’. We’re very pleased to be able to meet with international buyers to increase our exports and penetration of overseas markets.” Shared Joel Harris, Marketing Director at Shavuot International.

The Agency anticipates increased exposure and demand for Caribbean products from this event for the firms taking part and similar businesses within the region. Food Matters Live provides an ideal platform to demonstrate the Caribbean’s diverse range of innovators who are blazing a trail in the natural products sphere.

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[1] Allied Market Research

Caribbean micro, small and medium-sized businesses, operated by youth and women, are preparing and building capacities to enable them to profit from international and intraregional trade in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Eric Cato, one of the beneficiaries in Belize, remarked that, “I would like to improve my business’ ability to appeal to export markets, particularly in terms of labelling and packaging. There are limited resources at the national level to support actors. This initiative by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Caribbean Export Development Agency is timely and critical”.

The impact of the pandemic in the Caribbean has brought to light the urgency of moving away from training based on generic concepts, with a business planning and food processing-related focus, towards specialized, applied training, tailored to the current situation.

According to Diana Francis, Policy and Regional Programming Specialist at IICA, “The initiative is designed to satisfy the practical needs of beneficiaries. IICA and Caribbean Export are of one accord that generic training in business development, although important, is not a viable option. The aim is to prepare beneficiaries for the market, whether national or international”.

There was a pre-assessment of beneficiaries to determine their capacity to access markets. They were then given business to business training, as well as training in negotiations and, in some cases, were advised on packaging and labelling.

The four-month process will end on 30 September, after which a new assessment will be undertaken to evaluate the impact of the initiative. Subsequently, the IICA Delegations in the countries will provide follow-up with the MSMEs.

The virtual training program focuses on the business development stage of the MSMEs, with a view to expanding their export capacity and market access.

It has been demonstrated that these companies have enormous potential to contribute to the growth of regional economies. Particularly, given the current impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a stronger outcry in the region for companies to contribute to increasing intraregional trade and displacing extra-regional imports.

Janeice Saunders, a Bahamian entrepreneur, commented that, “Those of us who are trying to do business are faced with many regulations. The passage of Hurricane Dorian had a tremendous impact on The Bahamas and the pandemic has created further challenges”. However, she was excited to acquire the new knowledge.

The new conditions in the global trade arena are still uncertain, as it has become more difficult to imports items that have traditionally been a key part of the Caribbean food supply.

Allister Glean, Specialist in Agribusiness and Value Chains at IICA insisted that, “This environment makes it even more evident that there must be a change in strategy and in thinking by those who face these new and daunting challenges”.

He argued that, “The Covid-19 pandemic has produced many challenges for the industry and the people working in it. However, so too has it created opportunities for import substitution and intraregional trade. However, we will need the energy and drive of young people to ensure success. Thus, the intervention should support the efforts of young entrepreneurs”.

“It is critical that we focus on improving the mindset of entrepreneurs. Although capacity building is important, unless we address the drive and the mindset of beneficiaries, we will not achieve the success for which we are aiming”, said Monica Roger-Fletcher, one of the trainers.

The impetus provided by this collaboration between the Institute and the Caribbean Export Development Agency is expected to pave the way for MSMEs to increase their opportunities in the post-pandemic area.

“Caribbean Export is committed to fostering greater export-market access. The organization is improving its approach to the agroindustry sector and young people are key actors. The partnership with IICA is significant and it allows the organization to implement more impactful interventions in agroindustry”, stated Allison Francis, a representative of that agency.

About IICA
IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to encourage, promote and support its 34 Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.

This article was originally posted on IICA’s website.

The OECS-Caribbean Export Development Agency’s Technical Assistance and Coaching Programme launched on July 8, 2020 with the aim of strengthening the entrepreneurial and leadership skills of 14 selected young entrepreneurs from six countries of the Eastern Caribbean.

In her remarks at the virtually held launch event Caribbean Exports’ Services Specialist – Allyson Francis, underscored the importance of the private sector and youth owned businesses, in particular, for sustainable economic growth in the Caribbean.

“Youth are the future.  Their businesses are a critical foundation for sustainable economic growth in the region and so we must invest in them and their businesses.” 

Funding for this technical assistance and coaching programme comes via the 11^th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme, which the Agency is currently implementing.

“Caribbean Export implemented a similar coaching programme for women owned businesses which was very successful, and so I encourage the participants to leverage the knowledge and expertise of the coaches and to build a network between one another” she continued.

The programme pursues three main objectives, namely: 

• assisting entrepreneurs to clarify their vision and develop achievable goals that can be translated into tangible results; 
• assisting entrepreneurs to develop transformative business models and strategies that enhance productivity, competitiveness and growth; and
• providing technical support to set entrepreneurs on a path towards export readiness.

The beneficiaries of the OECS-Caribbean Export Development Agency’s Technical Assistance and Coaching Programme were targeted through national Business Service Organisations and the “OECS 30 under 30” programme.  From 21 applications, 14 companies have been selected to participate in the three-month coaching programme from both the services and goods sectors.  The group of young entrepreneurs will benefit from a highly experienced team of coaches in multiple areas such as business plan development, financial analysis, operations management, sales, marketing and branding, human resource management, proposal development, product development and quality assurance, legal and regulatory environment, ethical and sustainable business trends, information and communication technologies and e-commerce, and creative industries among others.  

The coaching programme also includes the completion of a comprehensive analysis of each beneficiary companies and the development of individual strategies which will address their specific issues. 

In closing, OECS and Caribbean Export reaffirmed the intention to continue to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Eastern Caribbean through complementary projects which will be launched in the future.

Participating companies include:

Company	Entrepreneur’s name	Country	Sector
Shop D Caribbean	Darrion Louis	Saint Lucia	Information Communication Technology (ICT)
LinkUp	Kenna Questelles George	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Information Communication Technology (ICT)
The Two Aces	Ackim Sidonie	Saint Lucia	Information Communication Technology (ICT)
Mec Designs	Mauisa Carbon	Antigua and Barbuda	Manufacturing
T & A Household Decor	Amy Antoine	Saint Lucia	Manufacturing
Adroit	Tonnie Pierre	Grenada	Agribusiness
Cronneit’s Forest Bows	Denny Cronneit	Grenada	Manufacturing
Flirt Cocktails	Hyacinth Richardson	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Agribusiness & Manufacturing
Mangal Trading Incorporation	Nila Mangal	Saint Lucia	Agribusiness
Akata Farms	Bevon Chadel Charles	Grenada	Agribusiness
My Crown Of Curls	Ranique John	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Agribusiness & Manufacturing
Emerald Solar and Wind Ltd	Nicholas Sander	Montserrat	Renewable Energy
Caribi Dreams	Mr. Maurice  John	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Renewable Energy
POISE SKN	Desi Brown	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Creative Industries

African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Day is customarily commemorated on June 6, which is the date on which the Georgetown Agreement establishing the group, was signed in 1975. This year, the 45th Anniversary, the Day will be officially observed on June 5. Activities were mainly centred at the ACP Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. It seems, the Day tended to pass largely unnoted in the ACP Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM). This week, I am highlighting it by addressing matters of interest to us as ACP Member States.

The Revised Georgetown Agreement

At the ACP Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, December 2019, the revised Georgetown Agreement was adopted setting in train the Group’s transformation. The revised Agreement received the required ratifications by one-third of the 79 Members States enabling its entry into force. Thus, on April 5, the ACP Group of States became the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The ACP is now an international organization.

From reading the revised Georgetown Agreement, which has far-reaching new provisions, I am specifically pointing to these Articles:

• 2 – establishing the OACPS;
• 6 – allowing other countries outside of the traditional ACP to join the Organization, meaning, I think, countries in Central and South America, Asia and other parts of Africa;
• 31 – establishing an Endowment and Trust Fund to which members and others must contribute to provide financial stability for the Organization;
• 34 – allowing OACPS to negotiate agreements with other countries and regions; and
• 35 – enabling the OACPS to have observer status at the UN and its specialized agencies, and in other regional and international organizations. Previously, outside of Brussels, the ACP mainly operated at the World Trade Organization (WTO), even though it had observer status at the UN General Assembly (UNGA);

This ACP transformation, for me, raises questions about the future role of OACPS. The expansion of membership would change the Organization’s make-up taking it beyond the mostly former colonies of Member States of the European Union (EU), including the United Kingdom (UK). Could we then envisage countries, such as India, China and Brazil, joining in the future?

For the OACPS to fully utilize its permanent observer status in the UNGA, it would need to establish an office in New York. The ACP, with EU support, currently only has a sub-office in Geneva. With permanent observer status in UN bodies and member groups, how will the OACPS relate to existing developing country groups such as, the Group of 77 and China, through which coordination and negotiations have been conducted since the 1960s? Would the two groups merge? Some further clarification of the objectives of Chapter IV (Articles 6-7) – Membership and Observership, and Chapter XII (Articles 34-37) – External Relations – would be useful.

The financing of the OACPS will be critical. Member States are required to consistently contribute to the Endowment and Trust Fund to make the OACPS a financially independent and sustainable organization. The ACP Secretariat, and CARIFORUM, relied on significant financing from the EU.

The relationship between the ACP and EU remains important in the OACPS’ external relations and, as is known, they are negotiating a new agreement.

Status of the Post Cotonou Negotiations

Since implementation of COVID-19 restrictions, the ACP/EU post Cotonou negotiations continued virtually. The focus, I understand, is on the regional protocols. A meeting of lead negotiators should be held on June 12.

Extraordinary OACPS Summit on COVID-19

The President-in-Office, Uhuru Kenyatta, will be convening on June 3 (today) an OACPS Summit under the theme: Transcending the COVID-19 Pandemic: Building Resilience through Global Solidarity. The Secretariat states that this Summit will assess the effects of COVID-19 and consequences for its Members, identifying opportunities for solidarity and action. President Kenyatta issued a statement on May 15 urging OACPS solidarity and proposing this Summit.

A joint statement was also issued by the Heads of the Secretariats of OACPS, CARICOM and the Pacific Islands Forum on May 18, as, for them, it was vital to promote increased coordination among all countries and regions to address COVID-19 and its dire economic consequences.

While we need to assess the ACP transformation and its future implications, in the midst of this COVID-19 crisis, this Summit, emphasizing OACPS solidarity, perhaps, is the best lead-in to this year’s ACP Day.

This article was originally posted on the CARICOM TODAY and was submitted by Elizabeth Morgan, Specialist in International Trade Policy and International Politics.

The new decade ushers in a new focus by the Caribbean Export Development Agency to leverage the support of the European Union (EU) to bolster private sector growth within the Caribbean.

This year marks the 4th year of implementation of the EU’s 11th European Development Fund (EDF)Regional Private Sector Development Programme, which is focused on market penetration, increased access to finance and providing more targeted approaches to enhancing firm capacity, amongst others.

Since the start of the programme the Agency has supported a cadre of companies across CARIFORUM in areas such as business development, capacity building, export promotion, and export development, and has so far awarded $3.5M (BBD) or €1.5M in grant funds, and is preparing to award even more grants in 2020. Despite these results, there remains a need to revisit the vision for private sector development in the Caribbean given the rapidly changing global trade landscape.

H.E. Ambassador Daniela Tramacere, Head of the EU Delegation to Barbados, Eastern Caribbean, in a recent interview said institutions such as Caribbean Export have been doing a tremendous job to increase Caribbean firms’ export potential and capacities; but there was an urgent need to ensure the sustainability of this effort as capacity development and access to finance remain important challenges. She stressed that there is need for a concerted plan of action among all relevant stakeholders, public and private, to look for synergies and avoid duplications.

To that end, Ambassador Tramacere said: “Considering the fiscal challenges faced by the governments in the Caribbean, the private sector has an important role to play as a driver for economic growth and job creation. Therefore, access to finance is a ‘pre-condition’ for companies seeking to drive economic growth, maintain competitiveness and create jobs.”

She continued, “This is where the EU’s support to capacity building activities targeting Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in particular are important to identifying the right sources of finance.”

In 2018 and 2019 Caribbean Export partnered with the Caribbean Development Bank to support the access to finance pillar of the Women Empowered through Export (WE-Xport) programme. This saw participating MSME’s increase their understanding of the requirements of financial institutions and receive ongoing coaching in sourcing finance from both traditional and via alternative sources such as angel investment.

Further, through a programme funded by the World Bank, Caribbean Export has established CBAN – the Caribbean Business Angel Network (formerly known as Regional Angel Investor Network or RAIN) in 2017/2018 to support the development of a regional angel investment eco-system.

“We recognise access to finance is a major challenge for SMEs and we will be announcing the 3^rd Call for Proposals in May 2020 when companies will be able to apply for a €10,000 grant through our Direct Assistance Grant Scheme” informed Anthony Bradshaw, Officer in Charge at Caribbean Export.

As the Agency continues to roll out work programme activities whilst implementing the Regional Private Sector Development Programme, expect to see more partnerships like this being leveraged to pool resources and increase the overall support to the private sector in the Caribbean.