A cohort of, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Barbados are now better equipped to strengthen their competitiveness and accelerate their digital transformation after completing the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s (Caribbean Export) three-day Digital Bootcamp.

Hosted in partnership with the Small Business Association (SBA), the intensive programme provided business leaders with practical, hands-on training in digital transformation, cloud tools, artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, e-commerce and cybersecurity.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Jonathan Seecharan, Innovation & Digital Business Officer at Caribbean Export, said that while digital transformation is no longer optional for Caribbean businesses, it is easy for MSMEs to become overwhelmed by technical terms and emerging technologies. He stressed, however, that successful digital transformation is driven not by technology itself, but by the people who understand how to apply it within their businesses.

“Digital transformation is no longer a side thought. It is an imperative for businesses in the Caribbean. Over these three days, we want to take participants on a journey, not just through a series of modules. We want the people behind the businesses to understand digital transformation from all facets and recognise that their digital transformation journey may look completely different from the person sitting next to them. Every business’ journey is different”.

The Digital Bootcamp forms part of the Regional Private Sector Development Programme III, an initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by Caribbean Export to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of businesses across CARIFORUM. Barbados hosted the third of six bootcamps being delivered across the region, following workshops in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Addressing participants, Dr. Florian Luetticken, Team Leader for Transport, Digital and Health Investments at the EU Delegation to Barbados, Eastern Caribbean States, and the OECS, said the experience of other small states demonstrates that size need not be a barrier to digital leadership.

“A country such as Estonia, which is smaller than Trinidad and Tobago, has positioned itself as a cutting-edge world leader in e-governance. These small countries really are cutting edge, and I think that is a very encouraging story for the Caribbean. If you embrace these new sectors, you can become a world leader and you can make an impact”.

The practical impact of the programme was already evident among participants, many of whom identified immediate steps they plan to implement within their businesses.

Glendine Robinson of C&G Star Trading Limited, manufacturer of the STAR brand of syrups, sauces, seasonings, jams and jellies, said the workshop changed the way she thinks about digital security.

“This digital transformation workshop has been an eye-opener. The biggest takeaway from the last three days is that you need to secure not only your data, but also things like your Wi-Fi that we normally take for granted. I’m going to start using what I’ve learned to identify the gaps and see what we can fix immediately, like separating the Wi-Fi by department to better protect our data”.

For Duncan Evanson, Director of Media, Marketing and Technology at the Healthier Nation Initiative, the sessions on AI and cybersecurity provided practical guidance that will help shape the organisation’s next steps as it continues to expand across the Caribbean.

“When we were talking about cybersecurity, that was very interesting because we already do a lot to make sure we’re protecting our systems, but I realised there are still a few more things we need to implement. The discussions on AI were also interesting because they gave me a little more information on how we can implement AI into the business effectively, but also safely. Now I have a wide range of notes to take back to the team so we can look at how to implement these things in the business”.

The cohort included businesses from the agro-processing, marketing and advertising, e-commerce and retail, and film and television sectors.

Businesses interested in advancing their own digital transformation journey can visit the Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute (CDTI) at https://digitaltransformationinstitute.com/ to complete the Digital Check-Up Tool and access a range of e-learning courses designed to help MSMEs build their digital capabilities.

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