OECS Service Providers Completes Trade Mission to Martinique
Castries, St. Lucia: June 10th , 2016 – OECS service providers in the areas of Engineering, Architecture, Music, Management Consulting and ICT completed a programme of engagements which culminated on June 2nd with a Trade in Service Mission to Martinique. The Caribbean Network of Services Coalition (CNSC), the OECS Commission and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Martinique, with funding received from the Caribbean Export Development Agency coordinated the activities including the Mission to Martinique.
The Trade in Services Mission was a one-day event which brought together OECS service providers in the five emerging and transformational sectors above-referenced. The Trade Mission adopted the format of a series of Business to Business meetings and other networking opportunities. These encounters were principally aimed at strengthening business to business relations and exploring opportunities for investment, joint ventures and related business development among OECS service providers, including those based in Martinique.
CNSC President, Ms. Yvonne Agard says the Mission, warmly received by Martinique counterparts was noted to be extremely beneficial to those who participated in the exercise: “this proves to demonstrate the power of networking and the possibilities for joint action in expanding trade among OECS Member States at this juncture.” Ms. Agard who is also the Executive Director of the St Lucia Coalition of Service Industries (SLCSI) highlighted the tremendous value of undertaking such a Mission and noted its importance in providing service providers with market access opportunities for their services: “the Trade in Service Mission gave us a useful platform for exploring how we can better access markets in Martinique for the services sector in the areas of focus at this time…..the services sector has emerged as being one of the lead sectors of our economies and therefore we must do everything within our power to reach markets and bring more meaningful benefits to our membership. The Coalition of Services together with the OECS Commission and with the support of the Caribbean Export Development Agency used this mission to leverage benefits from existing relations with Martinique as the newest member of the OECS.”
In advance of the Mission, the CNSC and the OECS Commission with the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Martinique held two one-day OECS webinars on Partnering in Trade and Services, as a prelude to the Mission. This allowed participants to learn first-hand of the many nuances of the service sector market in Martinique and the complexities of doing business in a French-speaking overseas territory. It further afforded them the opportunity to identify potential partnerships that would facilitate market penetration and create a pathway for the joint pursuit of extra-regional prospects.
The Trade Mission began with a short opening ceremonyat the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Martinique, with remarks delivered by Mr. Mark Frampton, Honorary Consul of Dominica to Martinique, Ms. Yvonne Agard of the CNSC, Ms. Marie Noelle Catayee, Head of International Relations at the CCIM and Mr. Sobers Esprit, Business Development Officer, Creative Industries at the OECS Competitive Business Unit, OECS Commission. The pervading theme highlighted across each presentation was the importance of synergies and the need to build stronger alliances.
Mr. Ashton Hewlett Fearon of Antigua and Barbuda served as the ICT sector representative on the Trade Mission, while Mr. Mc Carthy Marie of Dominica represented the music sector. Mr. Nigel Mitchell of Saint Lucia represented the Management Consulting sector and Mr. Augustin Poyette, also of Saint Lucia served as the representative for the Architecture subsector. These sector representatives were led by Ms. Yvonne Agard, Executive Director of the Caribbean Network of Services Coalitions and President of the Saint Lucia Services Coalition and Mr. Sobers Esprit, of the OECS Commission. Accompanying the sector representatives were Ms. Brenda Carrott, Executive Director of the Antigua and Barbuda Coalition of Services Industries, Mr. Lester Riviere, Executive Director of Dominica Coalition of Services Industries, Mr. Kenrick Quashie of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Mr. Richard Ramdhanny of the Grenada Coalition of Services Industries and Ms Shekita Walcott of the Saint Lucia Services Coalition.
The Mission was regarded as successful, having achieved its objectives, affording participants the opportunity to discuss the current situation in their respective sectors, share information regarding challenges confronting the industry, and identify possible opportunities and avenues for joint partnership and formalization of associations.
