11TH European Development Fund Implementation Report 2017- 2023

(7) Anime Caribe (AC18) Caribbean Digital Youth Forum In adherence to the objective of the 11th EDF Programme, which is to increase employment creation, inclusiveness – particularly for youth, women and indigenous groups, and reduce overall poverty in CARIFORUM States, Caribbean Export supported five youth entrepreneurs from Jamaica, Suriname, Barbados, Guyana and Saint Lucia to attend the AC18 Caribbean Youth Digital Forum, which took place on November 18-24, 2018, in Trinidad and Tobago. The objective of the Forum was to give a voice and platform for youth in the field of animation and to provide the opportunity for them to discuss their concerns in the field. Their concerns raised were expected to be incorporated in a policy document by the event’s organisers. The expected outcomes of the event were increased knowledge, skills, and greater networking opportunities for the youth entrepreneurs. (8) OECS Animation Boot Camp The Agency played a pivotal role in supporting the inaugural OECS Animation Boot Camp, hosted by the Saint Lucia Coalition of Services Industries (SLCSI) from August 13-17, 2018, at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Saint Lucia. Five animators were facilitated by the Agency to attend the event. Trainers from SLCSI and Export Saint Lucia presented on the Services Go Global (SGG), an Agency flagship training module utilized through Coalitions to benefit firms in the Services sector. The boot camp successfully equipped animators with skills to enhance their export readiness and fostered networking opportunities. A notable outcome was the collaboration between Saint Lucian firm Malfinis Film and Animation Studio Inc. and a Grenadian animator on a project for the Ministry of Tourism in Grenada. (9) Youth Agro-processors at Caribbean Week of Agriculture Caribbean Export facilitated the participation of Caribbean youth agro-processors at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and partners including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), CARDI, and CTA. Held from October 8-12, 2018, in Barbados, the event included an Intellectual Property (IP) Workshop, “An Introduction to Intellectual Property Rights for Agropreneurs,” facilitated by Ms. Erica Smith. 89% of participants affirmed that the event met their expectations, with 35 attendees at the IP workshop, 94% of whom found it useful for understanding IP options and leveraging them for branding. Notably, Ms. Nicole Murray Broome, owner of Naturinda’s, experienced early success after the CWA. She launched three new products in South Africa following the event. (10) Technical Work Group between DR & Haiti On November 21, 2017, the Agency’s binational office hosted the Association of Industries in Haiti (ADIH) and the Dominican Republic Public and Private Sector Technical Working Group meeting in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The goal was for the private sectors in both countries to strengthen their collaboration. This initiative further supported the overall 11th EDF RPSDP goal of promoting trade and export development and further integration among CARIFORUM States. (11) Regional Private Sector Engagement Meeting One of the final Agency activities of 2017 was the hosting of the Regional Private Sector Engagement Meeting held on December 8 in Jamaica. The meeting was to facilitate the process and identify a way forward in the establishment of a regional private sector body. The meeting directly relates to the strategic objective: to strengthen public-private dialogue to promote more effective business enabling environment for firms. (12) CARIFORUM – West Africa Trade Mission Under the programme, a two-week mission starting in Accra, Ghana (June 5-10) and continuing to Lagos, Nigeria (June 11 15) was conducted. It aimed to enhance cooperation, promote trade and investment, and establish partnerships through the following main objectives: identifying opportunities for trade, investment, and collaboration in specific sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, AgTech, and ICT, including fintech; facilitating meaningful business matchmaking between private companies in Ghana and selected Caribbean enterprises in these sectors following an expression of interest; and fostering comprehensive business engagement between the African markets and the Caribbean.

Implementation of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP)

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