May 24, 2022
Following the successful regional launch of its 2021 Annual Results Report on May 5, 2022, Executive Director, Deodat Maharaj and Damie Sinanan, Manager of Competitiveness and Export Promotion travelled to Brussels to present the report. The team shared the results report with the CARIFORUM ambassadors, European Union counterparts and regional stakeholders in Brussels on May 12, 2022.
The report which presents the outcomes, results and the impact the Agency achieved during 2021 was well received by the audience in attendance.
Mr Maharaj extended thanks to Ambassador Joy-Ann Skinner and her team at the Embassy of Barbados for organizing the event which attracted a global audience. He stated, “We have received results, where they matter, on the ground improving the lives of Caribbean people thanks to the support and strong partnership of the European Union.”
During the mission, the team also had the opportunity to meet with HE Symone Betton-Nayo, the Jamaican ambassador to Belgium, to further discussions on support activities for the export of Blue Mountain Coffee.
Stakeholder Engagement in Trinidad & Tobago
During the week, May 9-13, 2022, a Caribbean Export team travelled to Trinidad to host a 3-day ProNET workshop focused on Export Marketing. This was the first in a series of capacity-building projects which will be held in partnership with Republic Bank Ltd. Due to its interactive nature, the workshop was limited to 16 participants and received excellent feedback from attendees.
The team also met and had fruitful discussions with Mr Harrypersad, exportTT General Manager Client Services and his team about potential joint capacity-building and trade promotion initiatives
Other highlights of the visit included meetings and site visits with several 2021 DSGP beneficiaries which were essential to fast track the review of documentation and expedite the disbursement process and meetings with the exportTT communications team.
The Caribbean Export team to Trinidad included: Natasha Edwin- Walcott- Senior Advisor- Competitiveness & Export Promotion, Tonya Cummins– Programme advisor- Grants and Deidre Brathwaite– Digital and Social Media Officer.