Businesses in French territories explore investment opportunities in Dominica

Elicia Gabali

Dominica is one step closer to increasing foreign direct investments with various French businesspersons who are currently on the island.

Invest Dominica Authority (IDA) hosted an inward investment mission from June 12 – 17, 2022 comprising 40 businesspersons representing twelve 12 companies in Guadeloupe in order to seek partnerships with these foreign investors in key areas of business.

Dominica News Online (DNO) took the opportunity to speak to some of the businesspersons who formed part of the delegation from Guadeloupe following a ceremony held at Fort Young Hotel last week.

“I am in Dominica because I am trying to find a partner here to create a strong partnership and a strong company to allow entrepreneurs from Dominica and Guadeloupe to exchange their goods easily, stress free and in a trustful way through shipping,” Founder and Chief  Executive Officer (CEO) of GLC International, Elcia Gabali stated.

Gabali said there is need for a regular service to and from Dominica that will make the exporting and importing of goods between the two islands much easier.

With more than 10 years of experience, GLC International provides support in organizing and sending goods to and from the Caribbean and the whole world.

The company is based in Pointe-à-Pitre. GLC International works with all economic players in Guadeloupe as a forwarding agent and International Business Developer, and supports its clients in the development of their business activity and works towards business opportunities and commercial growth internationally.

The company’s page can be accessed at www.glc-international.fr .

Manon Bardet

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Assistant  of Tootila gp, an interior design company based in Guadeloupe, said the company specializes in the housing sector and proposes an all-in-one offer as it relates to interior designs.

This includes the renovation of homes, apartments, or workplaces/offices.

She added that Tootila.gp. which aims to have Dominica represented in the Guadeloupe market place, is interested in establishing partnership in this country.

Bardet explained that her company plans to put various products from Dominica online .

“People can put products on our market page which is well-known in Guadeloupe and bring visibility to Dominica and their products in our market place,” she noted.  “We can also design furniture for different places and houses as form of bringing beauty to the island.”

Tootila.gp. was created four years ago and according to Bardet, plans to expand in different Caribbean islands.

“We have a strong turnover of 350,000 Euros last year which was a hard year for everybody and this year, we want to double that in Guadeloupe then we would like to bring our project to the different islands, trying to get a partnership and hoping that Dominica will be a part of that,” the Guadeloupean indicated. “If [there are] some companies there and people here need their products especially for their home or their office we can also propose something.”

More information on the company can be accessed on its website www.tootila.com.

Marie-Camille Pitton

Meanwhile, during the investment mission, another Guadeloupe-based company, the CARO Centre, held a legal workshop which addressed the legal risks of investing in Guadeloupe and Dominica.

Led by the Guadeloupe Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the ACP Legal Association, the CARO Centre is part of the operational phase of the OHADAC project, which aims to promote the legal integration of the Caribbean region.

Secretary General of CARO, Marie-Camille Pitton told DNO during an interview that the whole idea is to settle disputes, “without having to use the courts.”

She hopes to introduce that aspect of law to Dominica’s courts.

The event formed part of the Multi-Sectoral Prospecting Mission organized by Invest Dominica Authority (IDA), with the participation of the Guadeloupe Chamber of Commerce of Industry and the Martinique Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The CARO Centre is a nonprofit organization. It offers a variety of mediation and arbitration services accessible in French, English and Spanish.

These services are used to resolve, but also anticipate disputes, promoting security and access to justice.

 The CARO Centre is much more than a dispute resolution vehicle; it accelerates projects and is a catalyst for change, at the scale of 33 Caribbean countries and territories.

The innovative aspect of the project,  as well as the rigour of its elaboration and its support by leading international personalities and institutions in the Caribbean, have enabled it to obtain European development funds under the Interreg Caribbean 2014-2020 programme.

The main office of the CARO Centre is located in the city center of Pointe-à-Pitre, in Guadeloupe, near the airport, decision making centres and the seaport of Pointe-à-Pitre, handling over 1 million passengers per year.

Hearings and meetings can be organized on the premises of the CARO Centre, as well as at the World Trade Centre Complex (Jarry, Guadeloupe), in all the Caribbean territories and in the main capital cities of Europe and the United States, thanks to the CARO Centre’s extensive network.

The parties can also choose to hold virtual hearings and meetings if more appropriate.

The Secretariat of the CARO Centre is responsible for the day-to-day management of arbitration and mediation proceedings and contributes to the expansion of the CARO Centre’s activities in the Caribbean region. The Secretariat of the CARO Centre is under the responsibility of the Board.

Eminent Caribbean Jurist, Sir Dennis Byron serves as President of the Board.

More information on CARO is made available on www.carohadac.org .

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6 Comments

  1. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    June 22, 2022

    “Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Assistant of Tootila gp, an interior design company based in Guadeloupe, said the company specializes in the housing sector and proposes an all-in-one offer as it relates to interior designs.

    This includes the renovation of homes, apartments, or workplaces/offices.”

    This I highlighted, is simply to exposed how foolish are the thoughts of our people!

    We are talking about she is talking about foreign investment into the country and talking this fart in the quote above.
    Interior design is nothing more than: the art or process of designing the interior decoration of a room or building, what is special about that?
    If I have my home, I should be intelligent enough to know what I to decorate a room in my house to my taste.
    As for renovation of houses, that does not require foreign investors to do that; anybody in Dominica with their money, or a loan from a bank can do that!
    Foreign investment is largely seen as a catalyst for economic growth…

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      June 22, 2022

      We are talking about she is talking about foreign investment into the country and talking this fart in the quote above.

      I meant to say we are talking about foreign investment in the country, nevertheless she is talking fart about decoration of the inside of peoples homes; and the renovation of broken down or dilapidated shacks on the island.
      If a foreign investor would be dumb enough to invest into the renovation of houses on the island 16 x 12, and larger, how many people, native would be available to purchase these renovated homes?

      This woman might be living in space and has no idea that Roosevelt Skerrit has the monopoly on building and giving away of houses to people; be reminded lady there are approximately thirty thousand people residing in Dominica, more than half are unemployed!

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      June 22, 2022

      Well, I see I screwed up on that one big time, is now dem people going to say I ain’t got no command of de English language eh!

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

      • Woodford Hill Major
        June 23, 2022

        You haven’t got the most basic command of the English language! Where did you get your numerous degrees from?? Jack&Jill Uni in the slums of LA or worse even from the same Punjab Uni Skerrit got his from.

  2. Rosbeck
    June 20, 2022

    Dennis Byron serves as President of the board. Enough said, nothing further to be added. Enough reason for ME to stay well clear.

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
    • LOOKING CLOSE
      June 21, 2022

      You want to explain that to those of us who don’t know anything about this personÉ

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