From Trinidad Guardian

The process of cultivating a buoyant and sustainable cultural and creative economy in the Caribbean moved a step closer with the development of a plan to establish the Caribbean Creative Industries Management Unit (CCIMU). 

The Unit is proposed to foster creativity, support development of businesses, create opportunities and improve trade. Central to the success of the unit will be the legal framework, ensuring the rights and obligations of stakeholders are respected and legally protected.  

Experts reviewed plans for the CCIMU during a recent session at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, spearheaded by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Speaking on behalf of Pamela Coke-Hamilton, executive director, Caribbean Export, Gayle Gollop, special adviser, Trade and Legal Affairs, reiterated: “We still face the challenge of the lack of strategic and focused management in the development of the region’s creative and cultural industries. This lack of a co-ordinated regional approach has hindered the sector’s ability to contribute to sustainable development in the region.  

“The biggest gap has been the absence of structure that addresses the monetisation of the creative industries in the region.” Caribbean Export has been assigned the lead role in the development of the CCIMU. 

The CCIMU is to be the premier provider of evidence-based services to enhance the performance and competitiveness of the creative industries across the Caribbean. This can only be achieved through taking a leadership role, facilitating an enabling environment through the enhancement of value chains, strengthening of regional networks and building capacity of the Caribbean creative industries to grow and be more competitive internationally.

Speaking on behalf of the CDB, Edward Greene, division chief, Technical Cooperation Division, expressed gratitude to Caribbean Export for the collaboration and taking the lead on the initiative. 

“CDB is pleased to be a partner in the creation of the CCIMU. We know that the CCIMU can play a critical role in addressing the needs of the regional creative industries—by fostering creativity; developing businesses; creating opportunities and improving trade; and ensuring that the rights and obligations of stakeholders are respected and legally protected,” he said.

CDB is providing funding for technical assistance to support establishment of the CCIMU through the staging of stakeholder consultations and development of a business plan.

Central to the discussion at the meeting of key industry stakeholders were the priority sectors within the region’s creative industries. These were identified to be music, animation, fashion and festivals in view of their potential to deliver the most growth and value-add across the wider economy.

For more on this story go to: http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2016-06-20/new-unit-boost-caribbean-creative-industries

IMAGE: thecaribbeancurrent.com