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24 M EUR en soutien au secteur privé de la Caraïbe de l’Union européenne

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) and the European Union (EU) have signed the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) agreement worth EUR 24 Million to support regional private sector development.

11th EDF Group

At the 11th EDF launch and signing ceremony, held yesterday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Barbados, Head of Delegation of the EU to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, the OECS, and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Amb. Daniela Tramacere highlighted that the EU remained the largest grant aid donor in the world and have set aside a total of 364 million euros for regional development; a substantial increase to the amount of aid provided under the previous regional development fund.  Of this current EDF cycle which runs from 2014-2020 the Caribbean Export Development Agency will implement the 24 million euro 11th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP).

The Agency which celebrated its 20th Anniversary last year will continue to build upon the two decades of successful EDF Programme implementation and “this new Regional Private Sector Development Programme places even more emphasis on the development of the private sector as both a beneficiary and a partner in the delivery of the EPA” commented Amb. Tramacere.

Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director at Caribbean Export reported that after the signing of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in 2008, exports from CARIFORUM to the European Union grew by 10% between 2009-2015, and indicated that countries such as Belize and the Dominican Republic experienced increased European exports: 20% and 34% respectively between the same period. “I would like to thank the European Union for their continued support in investing in private sector development and for being a true partner to the Caribbean region,” concluded Ms. Coke Hamilton.

The previous 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) was given a positive overall assessment of medium-high by the EU in their implementation of some 260 programme based activities from which over 6000 SME’s across CARIFORUM benefited.  Under the 11th EDF, focus will be placed on market penetration, supply chain and intelligence frameworks, increased access to finance, the promotion of green energy and energy efficiency as key factors in lowering costs and more targeted approaches to enhancing firm capacity. An extremely critical pillar in the success of this programme will be the improvement of the business enabling environment within CARIFORUM States.

The overall objective of this programme is to increase employment creation, inclusiveness, particularly for youth, women and indigenous groups, and overall poverty reduction in CARIFORUM states through targeted interventions that provide new and innovative frameworks for growth and development.

Assez audacieux pour être

A few weeks ago, on two separate occasions, a female colleague came to my office building to follow up and strategize how to address some of the critical issues affecting regional trade.  On both occasions, I received a call from her indicating that she was not allowed to come up to my office.  I was befuddled.  I asked her to put the security on the phone, in an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings and communicate that she was indeed expected.  If I am to be honest, I am somewhat hesitant to write about the ensuing discussion, because I find it not only embarrassing, but quite frankly demeaning and humiliating.  But there is an important point to be made, so I will press on, as we celebrate this International Women’s Day and the theme #BeBoldforChange.  As the security officer came on the phone, she advised me to “bring down a sweater, jacket, or scarf”.  My level of confusion and concern rose exponentially, as I wondered if some harm had befallen my colleague that she required assistance in covering her body from shameful exposure.  I immediately asked about her welfare and I was assured that she was fine, but her cardinal sin was that she was wearing an “armhole” dress. I sought clarification as it was not a term with which I was familiar… a dress without sleeves!  The horror…. I could not figure out what the appropriate reaction would be in this instance…..my initial instinct was laughter until I realized the officer was serious.  I dutifully headed downstairs with a borrowed sweater to cover her supposed “nakedness”, like Adam and Eve and the fig leaf, and save her from her shame.  This apparently is not unique to Barbados and is commonplace across the region where women are not considered appropriately dressed if they wear sleeveless clothing to certain offices or government buildings.

InternationalWomensDay-portrait

In 2017, with global warming taking our temperatures to unprecedented levels and 2016 being recorded as the hottest year in history (since recordings began) and the plethora of powerful women at all levels of business and government, we are still somehow subjected to arbitrary rules about our mode of dress and what is considered acceptable.  In all the discussions raging about the hijab-wearing women, I have never heard a similar discussion about outlawing men who wear the yarmulke, the keffiyeh or black hat worn by orthodox Jews.  Why is that?  Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are certain standards that should be adhered to in a professional setting, however I think it would be difficult to argue that a dress is inappropriate because it does not have sleeves.  It is an arbitrary and archaic rule that seems to defy logic and current internationally respectable modes of dress.  I recall when I first joined the Jamaican Foreign Service 31 years ago, I was told that I could not wear pants to work.  I asked the head of human resources what was the rationale behind that rule.  Her response….the Minister (bless his departed soul) didn’t like women in pants…..you know that Kermit the frog meme……I wish I had it 31 years ago.  To think that women are still faced with the same workplace double standards today is almost laughable. Imagine, a female receptionist in London, UK was sent home for refusing to wear high heels.  After petitioning, many others came forward causing members of Parliament to call on the government to tighten the rules to protect women from these outdated and sexist codes found in some British workplaces.

In the Caribbean, we have much for which to be thankful.  That was brought home to me in stark terms as I attended an ACP-CTA-UN Women seminar in Brussels last week, hearing the battles women still have to fight in other parts of the world.  Our challenges pale in comparison to the existential threats that our sisters face on a daily basis in their bid to leave a better world for their children, especially their daughters.  But because our challenges are less existential in nature does not mean that they are any less real.  Despite the fact that women constitute up to 59% of Managers in some countries of the  Caribbean, the highest per capita in the world, less than 20% actually own businesses.  Women still have less success in accessing finance for business proposals and are still not present in Board rooms where the decisions are made.  Women are still the primary breadwinners and heads of households across the Caribbean.  The epidemic of violence against women in the Caribbean has reached crisis proportions and urgent intervention is required to address this destructive scourge.  This CANNOT be acceptable to us.

So as we embrace the theme #BeBoldforChange, let us commit to challenging the “learned helplessness”, which allows us to accept realities that actually CAN be changed. Let us be bold enough to question the “normal” and push for change that is empowering, uplifting, creative, and that allows us the freedom to fly, to soar, to dream and to BE.

By Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, Caribbean Export

LINK-Caribbean attribue 125 000 USD à 5 entreprises des Caraïbes

Five Caribbean businesses are at a stage closer to securing private investment having each received $25,000 USD through the LINK-Caribbean Investment Readiness Grant programme.

The five firms are Carepoint and Caribbean Transit Solutions from Barbados; Bluedot Media and Innovative Menu Solutions Ltd from Jamaica and SystemIz Incorporated from Trinidad and Tobago.

Larren Peart

According to Chris McNair, Manager for Competitiveness and Innovation at Caribbean Export, “the grants will be used to assist firms in making the necessary improvements to their businesses with the aim of attracting greater investment from private investors, such as Business Angels within the next 6 months.” The firms were selected from a slate of 134 applicants from across the region, 7 of which were afforded the opportunity to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges in the hope of securing an investment readiness grant. LINK-Caribbean, a programme of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) supports the development of an early stage Investor eco-system within the region.  Launched last September, it is funded by the World Bank and sponsored by Canada.

« For many years Caribbean entrepreneurs were disadvantaged because of a lack of funding opportunities in comparison to our first world counterparts, with the LINK Caribbean grant we now have an opportunity to show the world that great, disruptive companies can be borne from here » expressed Larren Peart of Bluedot Media

Shannon Clarke

Barbadian recipient Shannon Clarke from Carepoint expressed his humility for his selection and spoke of looking forward to the guidance from Business Angels and importantly “their assistance to help push the adoption of ICT in the delivery of healthcare throughout the Caribbean”

CTS - Khalil Bryan

Khalil Bryan of Caribbean Transport Solutions also from Barbados highlighted some of the key initiatives hosted by World Bank and Caribbean Export “Starting from 2015, their team hosted Entrepreneur sessions to sensitise us to key items that would prepare us to raise Capital to providing support as we deploy capital from the IR grant. They have truly been a catalyst to improve the investment climate in the region – from building angel groups to disbursing grant funding to prepare us for investment. We appreciate the role that they have played and would encourage them to continue in this vein as entrepreneurship will truly be a catalyst to impact the economies of our region. »

Aun Rahman, Financial Sector Specialist for the World Bank who also has responsibility for EPIC’s Access to Finance programme stated that the Bank is encouraged with the initial response to LINK-Caribbean’s first grant cycle. “We are looking forward to building a stronger pipeline of more applicants who will be eligible to become beneficiaries under the programme in future grant cycles.”

In addition to these grants, LINK-Caribbean provides other support activities to stimulate early stage investing in the region. It facilitates the development of deal-flow for early-stage investors through the Regional Angel Investor Network (RAIN).  “We strongly encourage entrepreneurs and investors to join RAIN to uncover new investment opportunities throughout the Caribbean,” added Mr McNair.

About

LINK-Caribbean is an initiative of the World Bank Group’s Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC); a seven-year $20 million program funded by the Government of Canada that seeks to build a supportive ecosystem for high-growth and sustainable enterprises throughout the Caribbean.