Caribbean Export OUTLOOK 2016 - 2017

Exporters’ Tool Box

• Soul Fusion

registered firms/individuals/ BSOs with the potential to export their goods and services.

the Year Awards, in collaboration with CAIPA which invites nominations for foreign and local investors who have had a significant impact on regional industries. The awards also seek to recognise investors in strategic areas of importance to the region, e.g. green energy, research and development, projects that involve a high degree of innovation and creativity and those that are championed by women. Caribbean Export seeks to create an enabling business environment for regional SMEs on a macro level by establishing relationships between territories through: • Bi-national Programmes • Trade agreements • Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) Within the context of business advocacy, the Agency convenes a number of public/ private sector engagement to facilitate the exchange of ideas, experiences and explore opportunities for regional growth and development. Examples of these include: the Caribbean Exporter’s Colloquium, the Private Sector Advisory Group, the Caribbean Conference on the International Financial Services Sector and the Regional Innovation Advisory Group. BUSINESS ADVOCACY

Soul Fusion is a musical showcase of Caribbean culture with artists from the diverse nature of musical genres fromacross the Caribbean, namely Reggae, Soca, Creole Music (Zouk, Kompa), Caribbean Jazz, Folk and Afro-Haitian. The Caribbean Exporter of the Year Awards were devised to create an export culture across the region by encouraging CARIFORUMfirms to begin exporting or to expand their exports through a programme that acknowledges and rewards exporters. There are six awards available: Emerging Exporter of the Year; Young Exporter of the Year; Female Exporter of the Year; Green Exporter of the Year; Caribbean Exporter of the Year and a Special Award for Excellence in Services Exports.

• Special Call for Proposals

The Agency also provides special calls for proposals, allowing applicants to submit proposals for funding outside of the regular DAGS facility e.g. Special Call for Proposals- Food Safety.

• Caribbean Exporter of the Year Awards (CEYA)

• Regional Angel Investor Network (RAIN)/Caribbean Investment Facilitation Programme (CIFP)

The RAIN provides a network of angel investors within the Caribbean that are looking to provide private investment in to investment ready startup, early and growth stage SMEs. The CIFP provides a facility to enable promising entrepreneurs to raise capital from angels and other early-stage investors, and to support the development of angel investing in the Caribbean, via the provision of investment facilitation grants to enterprises showing investment promise.

ACCESS TO FINANCE

INVESTMENT PROMOTION

One of the most direct ways in which Caribbean Export impacts SMEs is through its funding programmes. The Agency offers both traditional grant programmes and alternative mechanisms

• Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) As the Secretariat for CAIPA, Caribbean Export is deeply involved in the support and strengthening of regional investment promotion agencies. • Regional Investor of the Year Awards The Agency stages the Regional Investor of

for finance, such as Angel Investing: • The Direct Assistant Grant Scheme(DAGS)

The DAGS is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally

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