53
PROMOTING TRADE
AND EXPORT DEVELOPMENT
Under Component 2 of the current EDF programme, Caribbean Export
commenced work leading towards the development of a regional trade and
market intelligence system. In addition to the development and maintenance
of a market intelligence portal, a number of products and services have been
developed by the Agency that will complement the overall system. These include
a Food Safety Portal, the delivery of training and certification in trade and
business intelligence to firms and BSOs, the development of market opportunity
pointers, the undertaking of market research studies and the administration of
market research surveys to gauge the business intelligence needs of beneficiary
and stakeholders.
The Agency is also undertaking the development of three regional export
strategies for Agro-Processing, Higher Education, and Creative Industries. As
a part of this process, 12 stakeholder consultations have been convened for
finalisation of these strategies.
INTERVENTION
LOGIC
Trade and export
development is
promoted in
CARIFORUM States
• % of firms entering new markets
based on intelligence obtained
from the MIS (target=25%)
• % of workshop participants
confirming that their knowledge
of trade agreements has
increased (target=50%)
• % increase in client firms
utilising key BSO services
(target=50%)
• % of business contracts
secured resulting p.a. from
Business Forum activities
(target=at least 25% per Forum)
• Survey of BSOs and firms
• Surveys of workshop
participants
• Internal reports on Forum
activities
• Business Forum participants
assessments
• 53% of firms
entering new
markets based on
market intelligence
obtained
• 88% of participants
report an increase
in knowledge on
trade agreements
• 78% increase in
client firms utilising
technical assistance
and capacity
building services
offered by BSOs
• 38% of firms
secured contracts
in 2012 and 17%
secured contracts
in 2015.
OBJECTIVELY VERIFIABLE
INDICATORS
SOURCES OF
VERIFICATION
RESULTS
ACHIEVED
Caribbean Export also seeks to increase
the knowledge of private sector about
bilateral, regional and international
trade agreements, and as such
opportunities for learning are a central
aspect of each training and capacity
building intervention executed by the
Agency. Eight hundred and eleven
(811) regional firms were trained, and
an assessment of these beneficiaries
revealed that 88% of them have
gained substantial knowledge on these
agreements, and are equipped with
the information necessary to make
sound business decisions.