Implementation of the 10th EDF Regional Provate Sector Programme

STRENGTHENING CARIBBEAN EXPORT’S INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY

The major issues raised were as follows:

REGIONAL INNOVATION ADVISORY GROUP

In January 2014, Caribbean Export held two-days of high-level discussion on the state of the region’s innovation capacity during the inaugural meeting of the Regional Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG). The objectives of the meeting were to gain insight from the RIAG as it pertains to developing a regional innovation strategy as a catalyst for enhancing the competitiveness of the region's private sector and to secure buy-in for the development of a MOU for the sharing of information among R&D, Tertiary Institutions and the Private Sector. The 15 stakeholders in attendance identified a number of challenges facing the region as it relates to adopting an innovation agenda, and further outlined the four thematic areas that could address the issue, namely: • Information Sharing - developing a platform that will serve as the repository for information and create various distribution channels to package and disseminate the information suited to the various demographics that exist regionally. • Financing - identify existing angels/networks and the channels with which we can best communicate with them to encourage them to invest in the Caribbean. • Intellectual Property (IP) Capture - providing training, sensitization exercise, and build capacity at the national and regional level for firms in the use of IP for businesses. • Metrics - developing a competitive index on the perception of innovation and identify initial metrics of innovation through surveys for the capturing baseline information.

• The relevance of CARICOM within the context of intra-regional trade and commerce; • The importance of B2B meetings for intra sector growth and export, and the necessity for the appropriate ecosystem to stimulate growth; • Immigration policies as a deterrent to trade; • Tourism-related issues impacting small and medium-sized businesses; and • The role and relevance of the Caribbean Business Council (CBC) and the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC) in alleviating the challenges faced by the private sector, and in the engaging the public sector on these issues. ACP-CARIBBEAN PRIVATE SECTOR CONSULTATION Caribbean Export hosted a regional private sector consultation meeting to gather input from key 32 key stakeholders in CARIFORUM, which will inform the ACP’s private sector development strategy on February 14, 2014. According to the ACP Working Paper, this strategy is necessary following the less than satisfactory performance of private sector support in the past, the significant changes that have followed in the realm of private sector development, and the paradigm shift that has occurred in engaging

For the full list of RIAG members please refer to Annex 9 of this report.

In addition to the above-mentioned, Caribbean Export also supported the convening of the following regional public-private sector dialogue meetings as outlined below:

OECS PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR DIALOGUE CONSULTATION

With the aim of establishing a Road Map for the OECS public and private sector to determine the most viable way to advance regional private sector development, Caribbean Export convened a dialogue consultation in St Lucia for 12 key stakeholders across that region in February, 2014. This Road Map aims to not only guide the structure and functionality of the leading body to guide Public- Private Sector dialogue, but also increase trade and business advocacy in the region.

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