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| L-R Hon. Joseph Gilbert, Ag. Permanent Secretary Helen Roden; Trade Officer, Aarona Moses and Ag. Director of Trade Junior Mahon |
St. George’s, October 26, 2011 – Grenada’s new Minister for Environment, Foreign Trade and Export
Development, Hon. Joseph Gilbert, is amazed that not much has been done to get
Grenada and other Less Developed Countries (LDCs) of the Caribbean Community to
access and make use of the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme made available
through the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA).
Minister Gilbert
made the observation after participating in a meeting with a three-member
consultancy team from A-Z Jamaica Limited. The consultancy company has been
contracted by the CARICOM Secretariat to conduct a Consultancy to Design a
Programme for Development of Protected
LDC Industries. The team comprised Dr. Noel Watson, CEO, Bryan Aikman BSc.,
EMBA, and Janette M. Lodge, Chartered Accountant.
The money from
the Caribbean Export is in the form of grants, Hon. Gilbert explained.
"But what came out clearly from the meeting,'' he revealed, "is that
the information about the existence of such a fund has never reached our
manufacturers.''
“Manufacturers,”
Minister Gilbert argued, "have been kept in total ignorance of the vast
potential that is available through this CARICOM initiative to help improve
their business opportunities, especially in the areas of product development
and export market.''
The team of
consultants has been charged with putting together a strategy that would foster
the development of these industries and implementation of Article 164 of the
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas in CARICOM’s Less Developed Countries (LDCs). The
overall objective of Article 164 is to promote industrial development in CARICOM’s
LDCs, including Grenada.
In 2006, the
Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) agreed to implement a tariff
regime which was meant to protect the industries under Article 164. It was due
to come into effect in 2006, but, according to the consultants, it has not been
implemented by any of the LDCs to date. In addition, support measures and the
necessary programmes for achieving competitiveness have not been implemented to
facilitate the development of these industries as provided for in the Article.
"These are
the sort of issues that the consultancy is required to identify and to recommend
creative ways on how best to resolve them,'' said Dr. Watson, team leader of
the consultancy team.
Minister Gilbert
said that as the new Minister for Environment, Foreign Trade and Export
Development, he intends to help develop the productive sector in Grenada.
One way to do
that, according to the Minister, is by providing the necessary leadership to
ensure that Grenada takes full advantage of current technical and financial
assistance available through CARICOM.
"It would
not be business as usual going forward,'' pledged Mr. Gilbert, who served as
Minister for Works, Physical Development and Public Utilities until October 7,
2011, when he was reassigned by Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas in a cabinet
reshuffle.
Minister Gilbert
is optimistic that Grenada's relatively weak export sector could see impressive
growth in the next few years.
Over a period of
three days, the consultancy team met with the various institutions that provide
some measure of support to the Article 164 industries which included the
Grenada Exporters Association, Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GCIC),
the Central Statistics Office and the Ministry of Environment, Foreign Trade
and Export Development.
The team also
met with representatives from the Article 164 industries in Grenada, which
included water, furniture and aerated beverages. The flour and industrial gases industries of
Grenada have been selected to participate in the CARICOM pilot project to
Design a Development Programme for Protected LDCs. As part of their visit, the team made onsite
visits to Caribbean Agro Industries and L&M Investments Ltd. to conduct in
depth assessment of their business operations.
The overall
objective of the consultancy is to contribute towards the reduction of economic
disparities in CARICOM by increasing production capacity, and improving
efficiency and competiveness of industries in the LDCs, particularly OECS
countries.
The purpose of
this contract is to support the development of selected, protected industries
of the OECS into competitive entities through recommendation of an improved
Community supported industrial development strategy, recommend changes in
business plans, accounting systems and the identification of additional technical
assistance requirements.
The expected results from this
intervention are as follows:
·
An Inception Report on the preliminary findings of the consultant
concerning protected industries in the relevant OECS Member States
·
A Draft Report which
evaluates the efficacy of the
Article 164 application in the OECS confirms enjoying protection under Article
164.
o
recommends measures to enhance the efficacy of the application of
Article 164 protection
o
on the basis of interaction at the level of the protected firms set
out a programme and plan of action to enhance performance which may be
considered in a CARICOM Development Fund Country Assistance Programming
including:
§
changes in accounting and financial systems;
§
a strategy for mobilizing resources to assist protected firms;
§
a Programme for coaching and mentoring of selected firms;
§
a programme for acquiring international certification and exploitation
of environmentally friendly technologies in production
§
objective indicators for evaluating the performance of protected firms
within the context of Article 164
A Final Report which takes on board feedback
from the beneficiary Government and firm as well as the CARICOM Development
Fund. 
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