Speaking at the International Trade Forum in Martinique on April 21 and 22, 2016, two OECS services sector trade officials put forth strong cases for expanding trade with the most recent OECS Associate Member State, Martinique.
Mr. Sobers Esprit of the OECS Competitive Business Unit and Ms. Yvonne Agard of the OECS Network of Coalition of Services, both delivered presentations on developments in the OECS services sectors and underscored the need for stronger trade links between Martinique and the rest of the OECS. It was further noted that through joint ventures, Anglophone and Francophone OECS Member States would be better positioned to capitalize on opportunities on the international market.
Ms. Agard who is the current President of the Caribbean Network of Services Coalitions informed the gathering at the Workshop on Trade and Partnership Opportunities between OECS Francophone and Anglophone Member States that while it is widely recognized that there are many opportunities presented under the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to access Martinique, there are still many challenges that confront service providers in actually penetrating the market. She however pointed to efforts being exerted to surmount some of these obstacles.
Agard signaled to participants that OECS Member States have made strong strides in developing their services sectors and indicated that there was a need for entrepreneurs in Martinique to partner with other entities in the OECS family of islands to take advantage of the opportunities under the EPA and those further created as a result of Martinique’s membership of OECS. Agard identified services sectors for which OECS possessed a strong comparative advantage, pointing to the diversity of their intellectual and creative capacities to provide services in a broad range of areas including architecture, engineering, construction, management consulting, education, music and other creative industries.
Sobers Esprit also participated at the International Trade Forum, delivering a presentation on “OECS and Martinique Exporting Creative Industries”. Esprit reinforced the case for greater collaboration among OECS Member States in developing and expanding opportunities in the creative industries sector. He spoke of the vast potential and marketability of OECS creative industries especially in the areas of music, entertainment, fashion and handicraft. He implored listeners to examine ways in which the OECS and Martinique should work together to increase investment in education, training, marketing, the development of artists and showcasing of OECS talent. He reminded participants that for a stronger and more robust cultural industry programme, the region needs to pay greater attention to international developments in order to compete in the complex and fluid landscape in which it operates. Mr. Esprit indicated that despite the tremendous talent to be found in the region, there was a trade deficit in cultural and creative goods and services from the region to global markets. He further indicated that this could be overcome by working together to better understand and deliver on what the global market is demanding for cultural and creative goods: “For us to see greater exports in the creative sector we need to expand on the creative eco-system by providing new incentives to artists and producers. We must work together in the production and marketing of our products, improve our training of artistes, designers and other creative talents, protecting the intellectual property of our creative people, embracing and utilizing new media and technology and stimulating local interest for the creative goods and services.”
He further noted that the global creative and cultural industry is a multi-billion dollar industry for the OECS must find a way to better access global markets in order for artistes and creative people to be able earn much more for their efforts and for which Member States should be able to generate higher levels of foreign exchange: “The creative and cultural industries sector therefore must be given greater priority in our national and regional agendas.”
The OECS services sector officials also spoke of current efforts towards cooperation including a regional trade and marketing programme for five sectors in the OECS, an upcoming Business Mission by Entrepreneurs in the Services Sectors to Martinique, reciprocal trade visits by Martinique businesses to the OECS in June and July 2016, as well as joint training for film-makers and designers in the garment and craft sectors.
In addition, it was noted that a Plan of Action for deepening trade between Anglophone and Francophone OECS Member States has also been developed. It is anticipated that through these actions trade expansion will become a reality for OECS Member States.
