As Guadeloupe and Martinique continue to strengthen their integration into the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), their Chambers of Commerce organised a common export mission with 18 companies from the two islands as they seek business opportunities and expansion into Saint Lucia.
His Excellency Francis Etienne, the French Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean and Barbados residing in Saint Lucia, highlighted to the audience the macroeconomic landscape influencing trade between the Eastern Caribbean islands and Saint Lucia. He stated that less than 3% of the combined exports from Martinique and Guadeloupe head to Saint Lucia, and likewise, less than 1% of goods imported to these islands originate from Saint Lucia. If the numbers are indeed largely deceiving, His Excellency recalled to the audience,
“The potential for improvement is infinite…Anything we can do to support business is necessary but more importantly, essential.”
Mrs. Christelle Boucard, president of the International Business Commission at the Guadeloupe Chamber of Commerce noted the
“increasing interest of Guadeloupean companies for their Caribbean neighbours, not only on the cultural side but also from a business point of view”.
She highlighted the role of the Guadeloupe Chamber of Commerce to bring its
“support, its expertise and its financial means to these exchanges because over the years to come, we must strengthen our partnerships with Saint Lucia, our neighbor of only 220 miles.”
The president of the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Brian Louisy, highlighted the importance of strengthening the partnerships between Saint Lucian businesses and their French counterparts and reaffirmed the Chamber’s continued support to such initiatives. This commitment was reinforced by Pablo Rosine, a board member of the Martinique Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Two entrepreneurs from Guadeloupe and Martinique, Mahité Perrault and Prisca Meril, were invited to present their businesses (REZO – Serenity Islands and Le Réveil Gourmand respectively). They both took the opportunity to highlight the importance of business partnerships across the region and how activities such as the common export mission can increase interest in entrepreneurship.
The common export mission launch was followed by a networking session and the schedule of activities continues until Friday, March 1, 2024.
On Tuesday, February 27 the delegation had an engagement with Invest Saint Lucia regarding the country’s current business landscape. After the conference, a series of business-to-business (B2B) meetings were scheduled with pre-identified potential partners in Saint Lucia.
On Wednesday, February 28, His Excellency Mr. Francis Etienne hosted a reception for the cohort of entrepreneurs, and on Thursday, February 29, the cohort explored the island and engaged in site visits.
Dominica has no available infrastructure that meets their operational standards. A lot of business people like Dominica as a destination. However there are no properties readily available to support the level of operation that foreigners want to operate at. No turnkey manufacturing facilities for food, beverage production. no site that can accommodate 400-1000 people if a call center wants to open next month. The Government will say they can go to the AID Bank industrial site at Canefield, but trust me, the Bank itself will tell you there is no space. Many sheds that should be upgraded there over the years have not. Many are just being used for storage preventing producers from accessing suitable production space. We have no suitable commercial plazas that offer adequate space and parking. We just keep doing the same rubbish and expecting different results. lack of ATMS’s, Meanwhile the foreigners are exercising their options right next door. In short, Dominica not ready for business.
Look at Dat wi!!!
How comes dey pass Dominica Straight and go St Lucia nuh???
Somebody ask “STAR-BOY” what’s that about nuh!!!
D other Day he go all the way Ghana to ask questions and look his neighbor dem passing him straight and going all the way St Lucia to do beezniss!!!
Garcan look Marjeee wi, den STAR-BOY coming and talking about Dominica is the Envy of the rest of the world wi!!!
Garçan Jahn-Sort c’est Jahn-Sort yeh no matter how all you want to Dress him up he will forever be Jahn-Sort!!!