The Caribbean Export Development Agency team met with Saint Lucia’s Minister for Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, the Honourable Emma Hippolyte, and stakeholders from Business Support Organisations on July 14, 2022. The in-depth discussions revolved around the execution of capacity-building and technical assistance initiatives Caribbean Export could immediately offer to meet the specific and pressing needs of Saint Lucian MSMEs.

Minister Hippolyte also stated her interest in working closely with Caribbean Export to identify capacity-building programmes to assist firms with export potential, particularly in the agro-processing sector, to bridge the gaps, making them export-ready.

The team recommended several innovative ways to address challenges experienced by firms in meeting the standards and regulatory requirements for exporting.

Minister Hippolyte welcomed the recommendations and expressed appreciation for support provided to the country’s priority sectors and Allyson Francis, Services Specialist at Caribbean Export, reiterated the Agency’s commitment to Saint Lucia’s private sector development.

The team led by Allyson Francis – Services Specialist, included Natasha Edwin-Walcott – Senior Advisor –  Competitiveness & Export Promotion; Mikaela Stoute – Research Officer- Market Intelligence; Marvin Baptiste– Consultant; Tonya Cummins– Programme Advisor- Grants and Deidre Brathwaite– Digital and Social Media Officer.

The Caribbean Export-Saint Lucia mission occurred from July 11-14, 2022.