“ There is a need for Governments in the region and the private sector to define a clear regional agenda for reform if the quality of logistics services is to be raised to meet the demand of our increasingly sophisticated economies.  Interventions will be required across the many dimensions of logistics, complemented with significant investments in infrastructure and guided by a regional action plan.” 

These were the words of the Hon. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister, Prime Minister of Grenada, speaking at a pre-event to the Caribbean Logistics Investment Conference 2024 (CLIC2024), which was held on 6 March as an online event. CLIC2024 is an inaugural regional event that will be held in Miami at the AKA Brickell hotel on 19-21 June 2024. CLIC 2024 will highlight the many investment opportunities in the logistics and transportation sector in the region, with a particular focus on air and sea logistics, e-commerce logistics and industrial logistics parks or Special Economic Zones. These opportunities will be presented by the 24 member countries of the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA), who is the main host of the event, in collaboration with the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC).

The Hon Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the CLIC2024 event, given the continued challenges facing global value chains and the heightened vulnerability of the Caribbean to shocks affecting transportation. The Caribbean imports 60-80% of its food items needed to feed its people and the many tourists that visit the region. 90% of these imports come to the region via sea freight and the rest by air cargo. 

The need to improve the infrastructure of our seaports, as well as our airports and to enhance ecommerce logistics while developing SEZs was further highlighted by Mr. Ronald Theodore, President of CAIPA. Mr. Theodore highlighted the top 3 reasons why the Caribbean is a destination of choice for logistics investments, noting the region’s strategic location and its positioning as a Transit Hub between Continents (North and South 

America). He also pointed to the growing demand for goods and services, driven by economic growth, globalization, rising tourism numbers and regional integration initiatives.

Also speaking at the event was Mr. Darwin Telemaque, the Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC). Mr. Telemaque reiterated the urgent need for the region to focus attention on another impending crisis supply chain crisis should focused attention not be placed on improving the region’s logistics infrastructure.  He further highlighted the importance of establishing a zero-carbon environment at our ports in compliance with global standards.

“ The most important intervention however will be inter-agency coordination and collaboration between the government and the private sector. This is imperative.  Successful implementation of a regional action plan to improve our logistics and transportation will require all hands-on deck.” The heralding call from the Hon. Prime Minister of Grenada was unequivocal and has set the stage for the CLIC2024 event that is scheduled for Miami on 19-21 June. More on the event can be found at www.clic2024.com

About CAIPA

The Caribbean Association of Investment Promotions Agencies (CAIPA) was launched in 2007 in Jamaica with funding from the European Union and support from Caribbean Export Development Agency. 

CAIPA seeks to enable collaboration among Caribbean Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs), with the objective of increasing investment into the region.

CAIPA’s membership-base consists of 25 IPAs within 24 Caribbean territories: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Sint Maarten, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.