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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.

The investment promotions agency of St. Vincent and the Grenadines – Invest SVG has announced that the country’s inaugural SVG Investment Forum will be held on 2^nd May 2020 on the island of Bequia.

The announcement comes at a time when more and more countries across the world are competing to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) particularly as this is the third consecutive year for global decline in FDI according to UNCTAD’s 2019 World Investment Report.   

It is noted however, that despite this the Caribbean continues to receive some of the highest levels of FDI in the world and thus making initiatives such as this a prime opportunity to increase visibility and awareness for investment opportunities.  Further, the SVG Investment Forum 2020 comes within the country’s 40^th year of independence and it is anticipated that this will provide an added bonus to increase the country’s visibility internationally and of course with investors. 

Executive Director at Invest SVG Annette Mark described in her remarks how they wanted to expose investors to the culture, way of doing business and to expand their perception as to what could be possible.  The aims of the event are to produce “heightened visibility as a prime jurisdiction in the Caribbean for investment.  To generate investor leads… and to give investors who are not familiar with St. Vincent and the Grenadines and opportunity to meet public officials and to understand how we do business here”.

Ms. Mark also shared how the investors that would be in attendance would be ‘qualified’ beforehand, to ensure the highest quality of investor leads, ultimately increasing the possibility of doing business. 

InvestSVG is expecting to attract over 100 attendees including qualified investors, government officials, private sector representatives and development partners to the event in May, which is being supported by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) the Caribbean Development Bank and Compete Caribbean.

Gayle Gollop, Legal Advisor at Caribbean Export delivered remarks on behalf of Officer in Charge, Anthony Bradshaw who was unable to attend. 

“Caribbean Export recognizes that the Vincentian economy is focused on growth in the upcoming years. The IMF projected a 2.3% growth in 2020 for the economy fuelled by increased tourist arrivals. It is however recommended that sustainable growth be achieved by enhancing the competitiveness of the local private sector, increasing exports and investments and reaching new markets, which will lead to increased GDP, foreign exchange earnings and employment. We view the Investment Forum as an important step in establishing linkages and promoting investment into the country and achieving this growth objective.”

Pictured from left: Mr. Anthony Regisford, Chairman of the Board – Invest SVG; Ms. Gayle Gollop, Special Advisor – Legal Affairs, Caribbean Export; Mr. Russell Franklyn, Operations & Financial Coord. – IDB Compete Caribbean; Ms. Annette Mark, Executive Director – Invest SVG

Barbados has joined five other Caribbean countries to launch an online investment guide or iGuide with the support of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) and the European Union.

“The development of an iGuide is an effort to improve our region’s investment facilitation” informed Mr. Damie Sinanan, Manager for Competitiveness and Export Promotion at Caribbean Export.  Caribbean Export serves as the Secretariat for CAIPA which is focused on attracting investment into the Caribbean and supporting regional investment promotion agencies.

The iGuides are a product of UNCTAD which enables potential investors to discover investment opportunities, get a better understanding of a country´s business costs, key procedures and laws, providing a range of useful information to support the decision-making process.

At the launch Chief Executive Officer of Invest Barbados, Kay-Anne Brathwaite expressed “We are confident that the launch of the Barbados iGuide site will augment the country’s efforts of making it easier for investors to do business in and with Barbados. We know that the iGuide represents best practice in the provision of information to investors and we anticipate that the iGuide will be a tool to attract more foreign investment in line with our developmental needs”.

Caribbean Export in cooperation with the EU and CAIPA has been working with UNCTAD to develop iGuides for Caribbean countries as part of an overall Regional Investment Promotion Strategy (RIPS).  To date, they have supported the launch of iGuides in Jamaica, Curacao, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines thus far, with an iGuide previously existing in Antigua and Barbuda.  This latest launch in Barbados brings the total number of Caribbean based iGuides to five and there are two more iGuides in development for St. Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, whilst plans are in place to also include Trinidad and Tobago on the platform.

“The idea is not just to promote Barbados but to promote the whole Caribbean as a market for investment opportunities. And, if you can present the big market, which is the Caribbean, you would be much more successful in attracting investment,” shared Ian Richards, Economic Affairs Officer at UNCTAD.

The Caribbean Export Development Agency has recently received commendation from H.E. Ambassador Daniela Tramacere, Head of the EU Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, Eastern Caribbean, OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, for the agency’s work involving the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement or EPA.

The CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement or EPA is a trade and development partnership signed in 2008 by the 15 states of CARIFORUM and the EU’s 28 countries, with objectives to facilitate trade and investment between the EU and CARIFORUM and to catalyse development across the Caribbean.

Ambassador Tramacere praised the work done by Caribbean Export on the promotion of Caribbean firms at international fairs and fora, including business-to-business meetings like those held in Frankfurt, Germany at the 4^th CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum in September 2019, and which have paved the way to a number of leads.

In addition, Ambassador Tramacere evoked that supporting CARIFORUM firms to leverage the CARIFORUM-EU EPA and to transform market access opportunities into real market penetration has been at the forefront of the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s work programme which is being funded by the European Union.

Since 2010, approximately EUR 52 million (about 58.1 million U.S. dollars) have been dedicated to enhancing the competitiveness and value of the Caribbean brands through the delivery of transformative and targeted interventions in export development and investment promotion. 

Concerning the CARIFORUM-EU EPA, the EU Ambassador remarked, “The region has one of the best Economic Partnership Agreements which provides duty and quota free market access for all Caribbean products. Unlike other EPAs that the EU has concluded, the CARIFORUM-EU EPA also provides substantial market access for services”.

Caribbean Export released a series of explainer videos to support increased awareness in the private sector for the benefits of exporting to Europe.  “We recognize that the average person isn’t going to sit down to read a trade agreement and so we wanted to break it down so businesses understood more easily the opportunities available and how they can leverage the benefits of the EPA whilst exporting to Europe” informed Dr. Damie Sinanan, Manager – Competitiveness and Export Promotion, Caribbean Export.  

The series not only breaks down general provisions such as duty and quota free market access and rules of origin, but also sector specific provisions making it easier for viewers to understand how practitioners in sectors such as music, food, craft and Information Communication and Technology (ICT) can leverage the EPA when exporting to Europe.  The EPA video series was a significant resource added to the Agency’s CE-Intelligence portal which was launched in 2018.  The CE-Intelligence portal provides information for its users in the areas of trade and business intelligence; access to finance with a listing of financial institutions and opportunities across the region; step by step export guides; foreign direct investment and a section on food safety providing information on the market entry requirements of key markets such as the EU, the USA, and Canada.

To learn more about the EPA, go to Caribbean Export’s website or follow this direct link: https://www.cedev.local/the-epa/.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on May 25, 2018 across Europe and was designed to modernise laws and protect the personal information of individuals and give control to individuals over their personal data.  Further, it aimed to streamline the regulatory environment for business in the use of personal data and the protection of privacy rights of European citizens.  GDPR also applies to non-European Union (EU) companies processing European personal data outside the EU and since its adoption the regulation has become a model for many national laws outside of the EU. 

Within the Caribbean, there remains a level of uncertainty surrounding the regulatory framework and the manner by which governments, businesses, and entities collect, store and disseminate private data of EU citizens.  As such, companies and public bodies within the Caribbean could encounter serious challenges in the conduct of their business with EU operators and citizens.

In view of this, a two-day workshop on the requirements and conditions of compliance with the EU GDPR for public administrations and regional social partners is being organised. This activity is funded by the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX) of the European Commission in cooperation with the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH or GIZ in short, the CARIFORUM Secretariat, the Barbados Coalition Services Industries and the Ministry of Foreign Trade for the Government of Barbados.

The workshop is scheduled to be held on 29-30^th of January 2020 and supports the EU’s goals through raising awareness and understanding about the EU data protection regulation.

Six companies from the Eastern Caribbean participated in the 4th edition of the TechBeach Retreat which took place in Montego Bay, Jamaica, from December 5-7 2019.

The two-day event brought together hundreds of participants including technology entrepreneurs from the Caribbean and North America, and 52 world class keynote speakers from multiple global companies like The New York Times, Forbes and Inc. Magazine, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Massy and Airbnb, among others.

The six participating technology companies from the Eastern Caribbean were: IslandTEK, eMagine Solutions Inc, Converge Solutions Inc, and Big Brother Technologies (based in Saint Lucia); and airZoon and Wimediacom (based in Martinique).

The mission was part of the INTERREG Trade Enhancement for the Eastern Caribbean (TEECA) project which is coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce of Martinique (CCI Martinique) along with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique and the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export).

The delegation was led by OECS Competitive Business Technical Specialist, Kwesi Roberts; and Special Advisor for Trade and Legal Affairs at the Caribbean Export Development Agency based in Barbados, Gayle Gollop.

This year, the TechBeach Retreat was sponsored by Google and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Participants had the opportunity to attend key presentations on the current state of innovation, entrepreneurship and disruptive technology in the region. The event also enabled the six entrepreneurs to participate in B2B meetings during which they had the opportunity to network with global players in the area of technology, access new products and services, and showcase innovations made in the Caribbean.

Co-Founder of TechBeach Retreat, Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, highlighted: “The event sought to foster collaboration among like minded individuals in the area of technology and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. The nonhierarchical nature of the event allows people to meet tech leaders and exchange ideas in a relaxed environment”. Hamilton said.

Panel discussions, round tables and presentations were delivered on the following matters:

• The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Fifth Horizon;
• Life with Machines: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation;
• Blockchain Technology and Digital Assets;
• Cashless Societies: Scaling Fin-Tech Solutions to Mainstream Impact;
• Smart Infrastructure and the Future of Cities;
• Google Innovation and Reinvention: The Intelligent Enterprise and the Experience Economy;
• The Future of Work: Exploring the Technological Transformation of Industries;
• Cyber Security and the New Paradigm of Everyday Life;
• The Future of Health and Well-Being; and
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation within the Digital Revolution.

Participants also attended workshops for Start-Ups and Corporates on eGovernance, Scaling and Venture Capital.

This article was originally posted on St. Lucia News Online