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Increasing the trade and
investment opportunities between
CARICOM and the Dominican
Republic is the objective under
Component 4 of the 10th EDF
RPSDP. During the period under
review, 10 joint trade missions
have been convened between
the two regions, and have seen
participation from 103 firms.
During these interventions 350
B2B meetings were conducted,
with 30% of CARICOM and DR firms
signing contracts increasing trade
between the regions. Further, a
key activity within this component
is the continued operations for
the CARICOM-Dominican Republic
Business Forum, which saw
participation from 195 firms.
Dominicana Moda
Since 2011, Caribbean Export has
facilitated the showcasing of designers
at Dominicana Moda (DM), an annual
fashionweekof activities,whichstarted
in the Dominican Republic in 2006.
Since then, DM has burgeoned into the
official fashion week of the Dominican
Republic and the fastest growing
runway show in the Latin American
region. The designers also conducted
site visits to manufacturing units in the
Dominican Republic and Haiti with the
aim of creating business linkages and
vertical integration between designers
and manufacturers.
Within the framework of the 10th EDF
RPSDP, CaribbeanExport has supported
DOMINICANA MODA PARTICIPANTS
DESIGNER
COUNTRY
aJeanté
Antigua & Barbuda
ILashan Apparel & Handmade
Jewellery
Bahamas
Andrew Harris Collection
Barbados
Rykii dE
Jude
Inc.
Barbados
Mariela Pichardo
Dominican Republic
Odanis Valdez Polonia
Dominican Republic
Jean Yves Marchand
Haiti
Mag’art Création
Haiti
L’Antillaise
Haiti
drennaLuna
Jamaica
Patwa Apparel
Jamaica
Reve
Jewellery & Accessories
Jamaica
Kimya Glasgow Designs
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Christian Bouchad Designs
Trinidad & Tobago
Heather
Jones Designs
Trinidad & Tobago
Meiling
Inc.
Trinidad & Tobago
Multilateral Cooperation (DIGECOOM) in the implementation of DM. This
cooperation provides an opportunity for emerging and established fashion
designers in the Caribbean to expose their vision on the global stage, thus
positioning the region as an international go-to location for fashion design and
ingenuity. It is also the ideal occasion to engage the finance community by
showcasing businesses with growth potential. DM is further a viable conduit
for CARICOM firms to enter the Dominican Republic market, under the regional
preference clause of the EPA. Further, the event provides a great opportunity
for emerging and established fashion designers and positions the region as an
international go-to location for fashion design and ingenuity. To date, 16 regional
designers have participated in DM with assistance from Caribbean Export.
Antigua and Barbuda Trade Mission to the Dominican Republic
From January 14-17, 2014, Caribbean Export facilitated 14 firms fromAntigua and
Barbuda on a trade mission to the Dominican Republic with the aim of promoting
STRONGER TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS
BETWEEN CARIFORUM, FCORS AND OCTS
75
In order for Caribbean Export to effectively implement and manage trade
and export devel pment programmes, the Agency must first ensure that its
institutional capacity is strengthened adequately. This involves the development
and implementation
of
a Strategic Plan for the Agency; the development and
operationalisation of core international processes in line with this strategic plan;
and adequate coordination with regional and international age cies, and donor
organisations.
Caribbean Export Strategic Plan
Following a series of consultations with internal and external stakeholders,
Caribbean Export completed the development of its Strategic Plan for 2015-2019.
The document sets the framework for work to be undertaken by the Agency,
and constitutes the basis against which performance will be monitored and
assessed. It also prioritises competing demands from clients, member countries,
and stakeholders for limited resources.
The five 5-year Strategic Plan also takes into account Caribbean Export’s
mandate, the needs of member countries, the role of partner organisations and
agencies, and acknowledges the necessity to engag clients to identify needs
and adapt solutions to secure impact and sustainability. The document describes
the risk and opportunities that the Agency may encounter, while outlining the
mechanisms required to take appropriate action, and outlines our four core
values, which are to be respected by all Agency staff, namely: high performing
tea work, transparency, results driven, and commitment.
Elaborated in the Strategic Plan is Caribbean Export’s six strategic objectives for
the perio 2015- 2019 are clos ly aligned to the Agency’s overarching objectives
s defined in the Inter- Governme tal Agreement stablishing the Agency. These
include increasing market intelligenc and research capacity; fostering access to
finance f r export-ready SMEs; strengthenin regio al investment pr moti n
capacity; facilitating exp rt evelopment and promotion; advoc ting for an
enabling environm nt; and ensuri g sustainable corporate capacity building.
The Plan also provides a synopsis of the four priority target areas, namely: agro-
processing, services, creative industries, and the green economy. The key outputs
for these sectors during this period covers a range of areas from investment to
advocacy and include: advisory services, workshops, training programmes, trade
show participation, business to business meetings, investment support, market
intelligence and research, information services and networking.
Further, the document outlines the key outcomes to be derived based on the
identified outputs. These outcomes focus on the identification of high-potential
markets, the enhancement and development of export-ready firms as well as
the capacity of BSOs; increased market intelligence, research and access to
finance; the adoption of a regional investment promotion strategy; attracting
FDI and building capacity for CAIPA;
advocating policy reform, awareness
for traderelated
issues; collaboration
with new strategic partners;
and continued internal capacity
building.
Careful consideration was also given
to the c itical uccess factors needed
to realise the Agency’s strategic goals.
These are: resource mobilisation,
human
resource
management,
information
and
communication
technologies
(ICT)
infrastructure,
public relations and communications,
finance, risk management, knowledge
management, and monitoring and
evaluation. Operational strategies
have also been developed for these
areas. The Strategic Plan ends with
a
comprehensive
catalogue
of
Appendices, which pr vides in-depth
details to support key elements of
the various sections that are broadly
captured herein.
Internal Restructuring and Process
Operationalisation
During the period under review,
Caribbean Export has recruited 42
staff members in a range of positions
includingmanagement,senioradvisory,
advisory and programme support
within its headquarters in Barbados,
sub-regional office in the Dominican
Republic, and bi-national office in Haiti.
Internal departments have also been
restructured to maximise the internal
capacities that currently exist and
enhance synergies in work programme
implementation. These departments
include the Executive Director’s Office,
Operations, Competitiveness and
STRENGTHENING CARIBBEAN EXPORT’S
INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY