By Caribbean Export
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Export Development Agency has completed the full regional activation of the Caribbean Women Entrepreneurs Generating Resilient and Inclusive Trade (GRIT) Project, following the successful activation of the programme across its final three countries Jamaica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in a succession of activations throughout April 2026.
Funded by the government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, GRIT is a four-year, USD 3 million initiative running from 2025 to 2028. With the completion of these final three country activations, the programme is now fully operational across all six participating nations: Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The programme directly supports 800 women entrepreneurs across the region, with a further reach of 10,000 through training and capacity building opportunities, market intelligence, and network access. It targets women-led enterprises in fresh produce, agro-processing, artisan goods, renewable energy, eco-tourism, and digital services — with particular focus on women-owned businesses that are youth-led, rural-based, indigenous-owned, or led by women with disabilities.
A region-wide milestone
The implementation of the GRIT programme was initiated in 2025 in Saint Lucia, before being activated in Dominica and Belize. The final wave of activations — Jamaica (April 13–17), Grenada (April 21–24), and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (April 27 – May 1) — brought initial sensitisation and consultative phases training to completion in a concentrated country-focused push that underscored both the momentum and ambition of the programme.
- Damie Sinanan, executive director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, described the full regional rollout as a defining moment for inclusive trade in the Caribbean:
“GRIT is not simply a training programme. It is a structural investment in the women who are already driving Caribbean economies forward, and in building the ecosystem they need to scale into regional and global markets. Completing all six country activations is a milestone we are proud of — and it marks the beginning of the real work ahead.”
Jamaica: Culture, community and enterprise
The GRIT Jamaica activation (April 13–17, 2026) was distinguished by its deliberate reach into rural and indigenous communities. The national launch took place at Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, a location chosen intentionally to signal GRIT’s commitment to entrepreneurs beyond urban centres. The event opened with a blessing from Kasike Kalaan Kaiman and Kasikeiani Ronalda of the Kasike Yamaye Guani Council, Taino People, a moment that set a powerful cultural tone.
The launch featured a fireside chat — Rooted in Culture, Leading the Future — with Queen Mother Tamica Taylor, minister of security, Accompong Town Maroons; Lacey-Ann Bartley, CEO of Bartley’s All in Wood; and Antoinette Davis, CEO of Ettenio. His Excellency Mark Berman, High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica and The Bahamas, was among the dignitaries in attendance.
Addressing the gathering, the high commissioner spoke directly to the programme’s rationale: “Canada firmly believes in inclusive trade, where the benefits and opportunities of trade are shared equitably among all members of society.” He went on to outline what that means in practice — that “trade, when designed to be inclusive, can be a powerful catalyst for development,” but only when entrepreneurs have real access to skills, finance, information, markets, and networks. GRIT, he noted, is designed to build exactly those pathways.
The week extended well beyond the launch itself, with enterprise visits to Bartley’s All in Wood, a fair-trade woodcraft enterprise built on a legacy of craftsmanship, and the Source Farm Foundation, a regenerative organic farm and ecovillage in St Thomas. The team also travelled to Accompong Town, engaging directly with Maroon community leaders and women entrepreneurs.
Grenada: From local roots to global markets
The GRIT Grenada activation (April 21–24, 2026) was held in partnership with the Grenada Investment Development Corporation (GIDC) and brought together women entrepreneurs from across the island, including participants from Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
The national launch at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort was addressed by senator Gloria Ann Thomas, minister of social and community development, housing and gender affairs, reflecting strong government engagement at the ministerial level. The fireside chat — Rooted in Grenada, Growing to the World — featured Dr Judlyn Telesford-Checkley, CEO of Grenada Grows Limited, whose circular economy venture converts organic waste into products that support food security and climate resilience, and Afia Joseph, an agribusiness and value chain specialist with the food and agriculture organisation.
The week included a two-day exporting to Canada workshop, a stakeholder consultation with women-led enterprises, and an enterprise visit to Auga Model Farm in St Andrews, run by Anichell Thomas — farmer, student, mother and community advocate — whose farm serves as a living demonstration space for sustainable agriculture and community food security.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: From dialogue to results
The GRIT activation in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (April 27 – May 1, 2026) was launched at the Beachcombers Hotel in partnership with Invest SVG. The launch was addressed by Lavern Gibson-Velox, minister of gender affairs, who welcomed GRIT as a critical investment in national development, noting that women’s economic empowerment is essential for reducing poverty and increasing community resilience. Anna Young, CEO of Invest SVG, called for a shift from dialogue to measurable results — affirming Invest SVG’s commitment to connecting local enterprises with global opportunities.
Representing the High Commission of Canada, second secretary for development Thu Trang Nguyen reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to ensuring women across Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have access to the tools, skills, and financing they need to grow. The programme aligned directly with SVG’s development priorities in agribusiness, tourism, food security, and digital services.
The launch transitioned immediately into a week of specialised activities, including export readiness workshops, digital marketing sessions, and business development training for local women entrepreneurs.
Canada’s commitment to women’s economic empowerment
Canada’s investment in GRIT reflects a deep and sustained commitment to women’s economic empowerment as a pillar of Canada’s international development policy. Through its Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada has made gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls a central organising principle of its development investments globally — and GRIT is a direct expression of that commitment in the Caribbean. By funding a programme that targets the structural barriers preventing women from fully participating in trade, Global Affairs Canada is investing not only in individual entrepreneurs but in the broader architecture of inclusive economic growth across the region. That investment carries with it a clear expectation: that women across the Caribbean are not just included in trade but are fully equipped to lead within it.
What comes next
With all six country activations now complete, GRIT enters its full implementation phase. Caribbean Export and its national implementing partners will work directly with the 800 women entrepreneurs enrolled in the programme to deliver capacity building, export readiness support, market access opportunities, and ecosystem strengthening across the participating countries through to 2028.