Since its establishment in 2021, Pleion Group Inc., a leading economic development company in the Caribbean, whose purpose is to trigger economic growth through business development initiatives in the Caribbean and beyond, has been playing a critical role in the establishment and implementation of Connect Caribé, the private-sector led caribbean ferry project.

The company’s genesis is as a direct result of the company’s participation in the roundtable on transportation and logistics at the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF) 2022 in Trinidad and Tobago, where key members of the consortium who were participants of the CIF2022 came together to establish what is now Connect Caribé. Connect Caribé focuses on four key pillars to address challenges affecting interregional transportation and trade among Caribbean nations in the areas of travel, cargo, agriculture, and e-commerce.

The diverse perspectives and industry insights shared during CIF2022 sparked innovative ideas and solutions that were later intentionally incorporated into its strategic plan for the Caribbean. During the second installment of CIF2023 in the Bahamas, Pleion Group Inc. led by Dr. Andre Thomas presented the Connect Caribé project in the investment village providing a broader scope of the project’s business model to investors. The CIF platform and the exposure the event provided has contributed to the successful acquisition of funding for the fleet of ships and various business operations. With this major development, Connect Caribe is targeting the commencement of service in the fourth quarter of 2024 for cargo operations and the first quarter of 2025 for travel operations.

At this year’s Caribbean Investment Forum 2024 in Georgetown, Guyana, Connect Caribé will present on the major developments of the Connect Caribé project during the afternoon session on July 12th, 2024 in the Country Presentation segment with special focus on Connect Caribe E-shops, an e-commerce marketplace targeted for the Caribbean region. The goal is to facilitate economic transformation within the Caribbean region by creating a marketplace which will allow entrepreneurs to use e-commerce in their businesses to generate local, regional and extra-regional sales.

On the heels of Caribbean Investment Forum 2024, Pleion Group will be presenting Connect Caribé Summit (‘Navigating New Horizons: Bridging Travel, Trade, and E-Commerce Across the Caribbean’) in Bridgetown Barbados July 23rd and 24th at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

The Connect Caribé Summit’s (CCS) aim is to propel the maritime travel and logistics sector toward a future of seamless connectivity and enhanced trade opportunities within the Caribbean. The CCS will serve as the platform for industry leaders, stakeholders, and innovators to convene and learn of the opportunities within each division of Connect Caribe operations.

This post was submitted by Connect Caribé. For more information on Connect Caribé visit their website at www.connectcaribe.com or contact Jennifer Highland at [email protected]