Fresh from the lead role which it played at the head of a regional business delegation undertaking an important bridge-building mission as part of a wider regional effort to cement trade and business ties between Africa and the Caribbean, the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CARIB Export) announced recently that it had now joined forces with the French state agency, Business France, as part of yet another initiative to catalyze private sector growth in the Caribbean. Caribbean Export, which styles itself as “the pioneering regional trade and investment promotion agency representing the Caribbean,” has described the recent establishment of business ties with the French state agency as “another strategic partnership to accelerate private sector growth in the Caribbean.”
Caribbean Export says that it seeks, through this relationship, to realize “an environment conducive to growth and innovation, facilitating investment and trade flows between France and the Caribbean region.” The new collaborative arrangement which, according to Caribbean Export, was ‘officially sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU),’ sets the stage for what a media release described as a “close and mutually beneficial partnership between Caribbean Export and Business France.” The MOU, the release adds, “Outlines a range of areas of cooperation, each designed to drive progress and growth for the private sector in the Caribbean region.” Listed among the hoped for key areas of cooperation which it expects to realize through this partnership are: