Trade Watch V9 No3 2015

EXPORT DEVELOPMENT

of aftercare and a research department. In addition, provision of real-time data being provided and the support provided to investors has led CFI to create a social media platform, which currently has 27,871 followers on Facebook and 6,925 in Twitter. The private sectors of Haiti and the Dominican Republic face the same challenges as other CARIFORUM countries and the general business climate needs to be improved in order to have a lasting impact on their economies. Focus has therefore been placed on specific sectors that have shown promising growth, with priority placed on the crafts and agri-business industries because of their potential for employment generation, particularly for women, the impact on poverty reduction, and the opportunity for bi-national value chain creation. Aside from the grants and export promotions activities, support from Caribbean Export was also given in the form of commercial missions and study tours, to strengthen the relationships between BSOs in both countries and best practice training sessions for members in the private sector to assist in building their capacities. It should be noted that this programme is coordinated with the actions undertaken by the Agency in the framework of the 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme, with the assistance granted by the European Union to both countries and by the support granted by the Inter-American Development Bank to the CFI and the Haitian Ministry of Industry and commerce, consequently, its implementation is aligned with international best practices for donor coordination. It is expected that upon its completion that this programme will enable Haiti and the Dominican Republic to take better advantage of the business opportunities offered, among others by the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), with a view of promoting the sustainable development of Haiti and the Dominican Republic while supporting the process of regional integration, taking into account the requirements of sustainable development and poverty reduction strategies as per the central objective of the Cotonou Agreement which sets forth the cooperation strategy between the European Union with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). (TW)

product. In addition a total of 37 SMEs and 2 BSOs from Haiti and the DR received financial grants to support their business of € 1 million. As with all economic development however, investment is needed and as such another key aspect of the trade component is investment promotion to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). The DR is the largest recipient of FDI in the Caribbean, and FDI has also played an important role in the recovery efforts for Haiti, attracting investments to boost the export-processing manufacturing industry and also to build hotels. Investment promotion plays an integral part in attaining FDI for economies and in 2014 the Agency supported the increased collaboration between the Investment Promotion Agency’s (IPAs) of Haiti and DR with the development and implementation of the Joint Investment Promotion Strategy (JIPS), which should enable the two countries to carry out a qualitative jump in their quest of attracting FDI in the island, based on the synergies and complementarities which the countries share in selected sectors such as the agroindustry, textile, call center and BPO, and renewable energy. The JIPS promotes the attraction of ‘external’ FDI into Haiti and the Dominican Republic in a win-win relationship for both countries and the programme has sponsored joint missions and participation at international fairs enhancing the overall image and providing greater visibility internationally with potential investors. In addition to the investment promotion activities Caribbean Export has supported the IPAs in building their capacity in the provision of better facilitation services to the investors. The support given which has included ICT equipment donations and training to both agencies has contributed toward the Centre for Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD) increasing the services delivered (technical consultations provided to investors) by 306% in 1 year (528 external queries provided in 2013 increased to 1,618 in 2014) while its “Aftercare” department increased its services by 36% in 1 year (from 293 responses sent to investors in 2013 to 396 in 2014). With regards to the Center for Facilitation of Investments of Haiti (CFI), its capacity to efficiently communicate with foreign investors increased 100% with the creation of a new department

Left photo: Robert Scott of JAMPRO, Richard Sadler of Jamaica Broilers, Kim Sassine and Frank Robert from Chamber of Commerce in Haiti, Oliver Chen from Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, and Jean Claude Mériné and Lucia Angelo of Caribbean Export during mission to Haiti Right photo: H.E. Ambassador Antonio Vargas, National Authorising Officer of the Dominican Republic, H.E. r Mr. Albert Navarro, EU Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Mr. Escipion Oliveira and Horacio Alvarez, respectively Deputy Executive Director and Expert Private Sector of Caribbean Export during binational grant workshop

4 Tradewatch • The Official E-Newsletter of the Caribbean Export Development Agency • Vol.9 No. 3, 2015