The Caribbean Virtual E-Commerce Accelerator Programme (VEAP) is an 15-month Technical Cooperation (TC) initiative implemented by the Caribbean Export Development Agency in conjunction with Expertise France through the EU ACP Digital REsponse Connecting CiTizens (DIRECCT) Programme funded through the 11th EDF.

VEAP Concept

The core client-facing activities of VEAP is a 6-month practical learning experience for Caribbean firms, to enhance the knowledge of project beneficiaries of ecommerce and implementation of ecommerce strategies thereby growing online export sales from the Caribbean. Two phases of the VEAP will be implemented. The second phase will replicate the accelerator programme with lessons learnt from the previous intervention with a new cohort of firms. The training and coaching session would be recorded and placed in a publicly accessible repository together with all related documentation and resources. This resource is expected to be used by Business Support Organisations (BSOs) to support E-Commerce adoption initiatives beyond the VEAP project.

The project aims to increase the number of firms in the Caribbean engaged in ecommerce through enhanced capacity to implement ecommerce strategies, with the result of increasing the volume of exports from Caribbean SMEs via digital trade.

This would be done through a Virtual Ecommerce Accelerator Programme (VEAP), an experiential learning experience where training in ecommerce is provided to firms and business support organisations (BSOs) by Master trainers. Coaching or the handholding of firms would be provided mainly by the BSOs at the national level.

Specifically, this initiative:

• Trains Caribbean firms and BSOs in ecommerce principles and practices including strategy and operations.
• Increases the number of new Caribbean ecommerce sites
• Expands the number of Caribbean products being sold via ecommerce
• Increases export sales via ecommerce
• Expand the sale of Caribbean products into new markets
• Equips the BSOs with ecommerce coaching skills
• Provides BSOs and firms with the key ecommerce online tools needed