Aaron Brown- “It means a lot to me because I didn’t realize that the society cared for the youths [to that extent]. This program took me off the streets, so it’s positive for all the youth who are trying to find a job, and I advise them to come to BTEC to transform their life”
http://amandala.com.bz/news/btec-trainees-graduate-job-readiness-program/
Caribbean Export would like to invite interested CARIFORUM firms to submit applications to participate in the 2015 edition of the Havana International Fair (FIHAV) 2015 in Havana, Cuba from November 2nd to 8th 2015.
FIHAV is the most important general trade fair in Cuba. This year will be the 32nd year that show has been convened. All sectors of the Cuban economy takes part in this event, which succeeds in putting together the most complete national and international trade exhibition in a space that enables exhibitors and visitors to establish commercial contacts, close business operations, exchange experiences and update in new technological developments.
FIHAV features more than 20,000 square meters of net exhibition area, around 4,500 national and foreign exhibitors from over 60 countries. This year it is expected that over 150,000 visitors including important foreign official and business delegations will be attending the fair. With the strides that Cuba has made in opening its trade doors to the entire world, the potential for doing business with Cuba is stronger than ever.
Caribbean Export will sponsor representatives from CARIFORUM firms in the following sectors to participate in the 2015 edition:
Sponsorship will include:
Participants are expected to cover all additional expenses including accommodations, shipping of samples, meals and ground transport to and from Fair grounds.
Interested persons must submit the online Expression of Interest no later than July 22, 2015 at 4:30pm Barbados Time
All participation is subject to approval from Caribbean Export.
Please direct any queries to havanafair@carib-export.com
The Caribbean put up an emphatic presentation at the EU-CELAC Summit 2015 in Brussels last week where over 500 delegates from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean convened under the theme “Promoting inclusive and sustainable growth by enhancing the role of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises”.
The event hosted by the European Commission, was attended by a delegation from the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), the only regional trade, export development and investment promotions Agency of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group and who’s presence ensured the visibility of the comparatively small region against the vast populous countries of Latin America with the attending audience. 
Deputy Executive Director of the Agency Mr. Escipion Oliveira during his presentation on Caribbean SMEs and how to integrate them in trade and investment opportunities with Europe and Latin America indicated that a paradigm shift was crucial to achieving global competitiveness. Improving access to finance was top on the list of priorities with the promotion of specialized funds and guarantee schemes being key avenues to be explored as financing alternatives to traditional banking loans. Access to finance is an area that plagues not only the Caribbean but also Latin America and Europe, and the Agency has already embarked on an Angel Investor programme to provide an additional funding mechanism for businesses.
Another area that the region has the potential to breed competitiveness globally is through the development of brands and geographical indicators. This coupled with certifications that can present products or services to the international market as organic, fair trade or high quality and indigenous, would enable qualifying regional products to be significantly elevated the in the minds of consumers, increasing demand and importantly the prices they are willing to pay.
However, having great products, high in demand by European consumers could be futile for some of the regions business owners. As Mr. Oliveira pointed out to the audience of policy makers and government officials “it’s difficult to do business when you can’t access the EU market”. His remarks were made in reference to the challenges some Caribbean nationals have in obtaining visas to travel to the UK and other parts of Europe. The visa issue however is not only a problem crossing the Atlantic, but also within our own region where the freedom of movement between the islands together with transportation and logistical issues remains a major hindrance to the fostering of profitable regional trade.
Thus, it should be noted that the EU and CELAC account for a quarter of the market for global goods and services, providing a great opportunity for Caribbean firms to boost trade and in turn stimulate economic growth. SMEs play a key role in generating employment and the EU supports SMEs in the Caribbean through the Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) currently being implemented by Caribbean Export, to become more competitive and improve international trade with Latin America and Europe.
Please note the new LPG prices your respective area.
Thank you!
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