The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP), in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, convened the “Advanced Market Intelligence Training for Business Support Organizations” last week in Kingston, Jamaica at the Jamaica Conference Centre, from November 12 – 15, 2018.

Conducting thorough market intelligence remains of critical importance in today’s dynamic, hyper-globalized world, as it ensures firms are holistically prepared for exporting and allows them to fully assess their export-readiness, while avoiding many of the common pitfalls and hurdles faced by exporters. This ultimately places firms in a better position, as it allows them greater market access in a shorter time-frame, with more efficient use of resources. The objectives of this initiative further enabled Caribbean Export to fulfil its mandate of fostering an enabling environment, enhancing competitiveness, promoting investment and strengthening institutional capacity and networking, while supporting the development of a vibrant regional business network to improve the quality of service provided to clients.

Twenty-four (24) participants from Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and Trade Promotion Institutions (TPIs) across CARIFORUM and the French Caribbean Outermost Regions (FCORs) received expert training from International Trade Centre (ITC) Advisor, Mr. Martin Lopez and ITC International Consultant/Trade Market Intelligence, Ms. Anna Eriksson. This equipped participants with the new methods, solutions and skills required to boost institutional competitiveness at all levels of their network of trade related stakeholders, while also reinforcing their portfolios of services with innovative approaches.

This 4-day workshop which is the 2nd Caribbean Export BSO training initiative for 2018, focused on the preparation of export potential analysis and the elaboration of market profiles. This provided a unique opportunity for managers and technical officers of regional BSOs and TPIs, to systematically enhance their trade intelligence capabilities.
Caribbean Export is elated have been afforded the opportunity to host this capacity building and training initiative which falls under the umbrella of the 11th EDF’s RPSDP which is part of the EU’s regional economic cooperation and integration focus. The RPSDP was designed to address the increasing demands for private sector lead growth while also featuring a greater effort to integrate enterprises globally, boost competitiveness, improve the business climate and attract more foreign investment.