Caribbean Trade and Competitiveness
Development Program (C-Tradecom)
Client: United States Agency for International Development
Website: www.c-trade.org
Under this project, CARANA is designing and implementing a program
to address the issue of competitiveness and trade expansion for the
countries under CARICOM (Belize, The Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, St.
Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados,
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Guyana and Suriname) and
the Dominican Republic, with special emphasis on the countries of
the OECS (St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica,
St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Grenada). The project
seeks to ensure that the entire region is placed in a position to
meet its international trade obligations with respect to a single
market economy. In this context, a major objective is to assist the
private sector to become a competitive engine for growth. To achieve
this objective, C-TRADECOM is working with both the private sector
and the public sector to address key problem areas which will lead
to private sector growth opportunities, and create employment and
investment.
Project results include the following:
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Conducted a market/feasibility analysis of potential
for a globally competitive Sea Island cotton industry. The project
was completed in less than three weeks and was submitted to the
Ministry of Agriculture for use in strategic planning. Follow-up
activity has been planned including exploring linkages between
Sea Island cotton products and tourism. |
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Provided technical assistance to small and medium-sized
hotels in the Caribbean to help them meet international standards
and position their businesses for long-term profitability. Provided
expert consultants and logistical support for a two-day seminar,
which was designed to help small and medium sized hotels understand
and meet international standards for product and service quality.
Participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the
course content and strongly recommended that this type of training
seminar would be of tremendous help to small hotel owners/managers
throughout the Caribbean. The attendees agreed to participate
in an evaluation survey, which will be completed within six months. |
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Developed an investor roadmap and business guide, including
a high-level diagnostic evaluation of the Antigua and Barbuda
business environment. Assisting in the development of a comprehensive "how
to" business guide while simultaneously identifying bottlenecks,
gaps in transparency, and inefficiencies that can be improved. |
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Provided support for 19 Caribbean businesses in the 2003
Summer International Fancy Food and Confection Show. Participation
has assisted the most successful specialty food exporters in
the Caribbean to establish a foothold in the market where their
sales have been extensive. The show is best known for presenting
the largest display of specialty foods around the world. This
year the show had 1,995 exhibiting companies, which represented
45 countries and was attended by 22,673 visitors and buyers from
65 countries. The Caribbean pavilion housed 19 companies from
Barbados, Suriname, Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago. |
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Supported the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s 2003
Caribbean Gift and Craft Show through assistance for a handcrafted
jewelry workshop. This workshop provided knowledge and tools
for turning jewelry and craft making into a profitable business
on a small budget. |
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Provided support for Caribbean Latin American Action’s forum
on "Financial Integration—One Regional Capital Market." The
forum was designed to define the public policy changes that are
needed to integrate and harmonize the capital markets of the
Caribbean. The conference aimed to attract greater investment
flows through a constructive public/private sector partnership
to aggressively accelerate the pace of integration, harmonization,
and the impartial application of the law throughout the region. |
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Working with Chief Immigration Officers of the 15 member
states of CARICOM to facilitate implementation of revised regulations
and new administrative rules required for compliance with the
CSME provision on the free movement of people. Support includes
technical assistance to develop training materials for direct
and train-the-trainer programming based on the revised regulations
and new administrative rules, and the provision of training interventions
for key immigration officers. |
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Provided support to the Caribbean Association of Customs
Brokers' Conference on "The New Customs Environment—Adapting
and Meeting the Challenges." Participants attended briefings
on customs modernization, draft harmonized legislation, compliance
responsibility, and interactive capabilities connecting trade
actors. This conference significantly impacted the way that trade
and business procedures are expedited in the CARICOM region in
light of the FTAA and the CARICOM single market and economy. |
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Supporting the initiative for private sector preparation
for the Free Trade Area of the Americas Ministerial. Private
sector entities receiving support include the St. Lucia Chamber
of Commerce and others around the region in their preparation
for the FTAA Ministerial. |
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Supported Caribbean Latin American Action’s 27th Annual Conference
in Miami. The conference emphasized that the private sector must
take the lead in driving the transformation agenda with capacity
building, harmonization, integration, and governance to overcome
the major barriers to attracting increased investment flows.
The conference brought together the key private and public sector
decision makers in a constructive dialogue to define the action
steps needed to accelerate the change underway in the region. |
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Supported the Caribbean Regional Organization on Standards
and Quality (CROSQ) and the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards
(TTBS) in the implementation of a regional training program on
standardization. This is a prerequisite for regional standards
bureaus to fulfill their obligations under the WTO Technical
Barriers to Trade Agreement. Included in the support is assistance
to the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, the Organization
of American States, and the Centre for Trade Policy and Law to
conduct a certificate program in international trade policy in
the Eastern Caribbean. |
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