Bridgetown, BARBADOS, March 3, 2016. The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) and the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) announce the 3^rd hosting of the Caribbean’s Regional Investor of the Year Awards for 2015-2016 (RIYA 2015-2016)

The RIYA is a prestigious and unique annual award programme that seeks to recognize and salute the achievement of pan-Caribbean foreign and local investors. These investors would have demonstrated exceptional business practices, economic achievements and investments across the Caribbean. The Agencies recognize the important contribution of not only foreign but also local investors, to improving the region’s investment climate.

Now in its third year, the RIYA 2015-2016 is turning its attention to innovation bringing focus to the local and foreign investors in the region who have invested in a new idea, introduced a new device to the market, created an invention or new practice methods that have been translated into a good or service creating value, satisfying a specific consumer need and has created significant socio-economic impact. A special award will also be given to women or young investors in innovation whose investments are particularly noteworthy.

Last year’s awards focused on investments in the green economy, with the NCB Group of the Cayman Islands the local and overall winner of the RIYA 2014. EGE Haina, an investor in the Dominican Republic shared the local investor of the year award and Palmis Eneji based in Haiti was winner of the foreign investor of the year award. Manpower Group Limited out of Jamaica was winner of the special award.

The RIYA 2015/2016 will again feature 3 specific award categories and applicants are invited to apply according to the category or categories which they believe they have had the most impact. Those categories are:

1. Foreign Investor of the Year Award: This award seeks to honour foreign investors (non-Caribbean nationals), who have invested in innovative operations in the region that have generated a significant impact.

2. Local Investor of the Year Award: This award seeks to honour local investors, those of Caribbean birth who have invested in innovative operations in the region that have generated a significant impact.

3. Special Award: Special recognition will be given to women and young investors and this award will be given at the discretion of the Evaluation Committee to outstanding applicants.

A Regional Investor of the Year Awardee or an overall winner will be selected from the successful candidates in the above categories and will be named Regional Investor of the Year for 2015/2016.   This year’s RIYA event will be hosted during the Caribbean Investment Summit that will be held in Miami, USA with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Additional information on the RIYA can be found at: www.carib-export.com and www.caipainvest.org where application forms can be downloaded. Submissions must go to the Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) within the applicants territory for pre-selection and each IPA will be charged with submitting two applicants per category to the RIYA Evaluation Committee for the selection of overall winners.

The deadline for submissions to the RIYA Committee is 31 March 2016.

About Caribbean Export

Caribbean Export is a regional export development and trade and investment promotion organisation of the Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM) currently executing the Regional Private Sector Programme (RPSDP) funded by the European Union under the 10^th European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Export’s mission is to increase the competitiveness of Caribbean countries by providing quality export development and trade and investment promotion services through effective programme execution and strategic alliances.

More information about Caribbean Export can be found at www.carib-export.com. Contact: JoEllen Laryea, PR and Communications, Caribbean Export Development Agency, Tel: +1(246) 436-0578, Fax: +1(246) 436-9999, Email: [email protected]