Friday, November 29, 2019 — Representatives from the Competitive Business Unit of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, along with 13 companies from multiple OECS Member States, participated in a trade mission which took place in Guadeloupe on November 12-15, 2019. The goal of this activity was to foster trade and partnerships between companies based in the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean and entrepreneurs from Guadeloupe and Martinique.

The four-day trade mission was coordinated by the OECS Competitive Business Unit in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Guadeloupe (CCI Guadeloupe), the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, and Enterprise Europe Network.

Entrepreneurs from the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines gathered together at the World Trade Center Complex in Jarry Guadeloupe, where they participated in multiple workshops. Two key presentations on doing business in Guadeloupe and in the OECS centered on the legislative, regulatory, administrative, procedural and logistical aspects of trade with Guadeloupe and the other OECS Member States. This included information on customs, border taxes, and rules of origin procedures, standards, quality, sanitary and phytosanitary procedures, transport and logistics, and banking and finance.

Technical Specialist at the OECS Competitive Business Unit, Andrena Simon, outlined the importance of strengthening the ties between the English-speaking Member States of the OECS and the French territories, especially in light of the recent accession of Guadeloupe as an Associated Member of the Organisation.

“Guadeloupe became an Associated Member of the OECS in March 2019, so we are committed to deepening our relations with the French territory through the implementation of concrete initiatives such as this trade mission. We must come together and work together towards the removal of barriers to the development of trade in the Eastern Caribbean,” Simon said.

The presentations were followed by business to business (B2B) encounters, interactions and exchanges which enabled each company to showcase their products and services and consider potential business partnerships in multiple sectors including: cosmetics, liquors and spirits, fast food, baby food, phytosanitary products, fruits and vegetables, the music industry and the fashion sector.

The trade mission ended with site visits and a meeting with the heads of major supermarkets in Guadeloupe.  

In closing, the representatives from the Competitive Business Unit of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission announced the intention to implement further trade missions in the English-speaking Member States targeting entrepreneurs from the French territories in 2020.