Recognising the critical importance of trade for economic growth, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is convening a seminar to examine essential imperatives for creating an enabling trade ecosystem for the Region.

The event, entitled ‘Accelerating Development: Optimising Trade Connectivity and Logistics for Growth’, will be held on June 20, 2024, at the CDB’s 54th Annual Meeting in Ottawa, Canada. It will facilitate discussion among policymakers, private sector leaders, and technical experts on strategies to strengthen trade systems and improve trade logistics across the Caribbean.

Utilising findings from CDB-commissioned Logistics Chain Studies for Grenada and Saint Lucia, the seminar will identify enhancements required for the trade-facilitating environment, including improved regulations, updated legislation, quality infrastructure, and increased use of technology. Additionally, it will pinpoint specific opportunities for greater regional trade and the establishment of value chains across the Region.

Mr. Ian Durant, CDB’s Director of Economics said, "Trade is essential for building resilience in production and advancing development through sustained income growth. By addressing the bottlenecks in our trade and logistics systems, we can create value chains that enhance intra-regional and extra-regional trade. This seminar represents a crucial step in building consensus around the necessary imperatives to achieve these goals. The insights and recommendations from this event will help shape the future of trade connectivity and logistics in the Caribbean."

The event agenda includes an overview of the main findings of the CDB-commissioned reports followed by an action-oriented panel discussion between Ms. Fatima Arroyos, Program Leader for the Caribbean, World Bank’s LAC Region; Mr. Wilson Pearce, Senior Director of Global Business Development, Canadian Commercial Corporation; Ms. Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvester, President, Shipping Association of Jamaica; and Mr. Darwin Telemaque, Port Manager of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority. Mr. Durant will serve as Moderator.

Panellists will examine measures to encourage sustainable and inclusive trade, increase investments in modern trade infrastructure, and foster a conducive trade environment through an effective legislative framework.  The discussion will also explore the digital transformation of trade systems and its potential for enhancing the competitiveness of intra-regional products.

The seminar is among several information-sharing events on the agenda of the Bank’s Annual Meeting which will run from June 17 – 21, 2024. It will be streamed live on CDB’s Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube platforms. Similar events on the Annual Meeting schedule include ‘Employment Equity: Promoting Inclusion in Caribbean Labour Markets’ and ‘Imagineering: Using Creative Industry Research to Devise Development Strategies’, both of which are scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, 2024.