BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Export Development Agency and The Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law (SRC) have agreed on a framework to partner on a trade and investment research agenda; October 1, 2021, the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to officiate a long-standing relationship and the implementation of an internship programme.
“This is an important partnership for Caribbean Export as it supports the goal of positioning the Agency as a knowledge hub in partnership with the University of the West Indies and the SRC as a Centre of Excellence while continuing to provide high-impact support for MSMEs in the region”, shared Deodat Maharaj, executive director of Caribbean Export.
The agreement outlines several initiatives which will contribute to the enhanced competitiveness and sustainable development of the Caribbean region including, research, joint programmes and internship placements, providing students of the International Trade Policy master’s programme (MITP) with the opportunity to gain much needed on the job training and experience.
This partnership aims to ensure businesses are able to access cutting edge trade information to enhance decision-making, export competitiveness and facilitate business expansion. Further, research data will also be key in identifying areas of innovation for regional investment programmes.
Newly appointed principal of the UWI, Professor Landis highlighted that this UWI-Caribbean Export collaboration was a “living example of a developmental-academic partnership that adheres to the university’s strategic objectives to facilitate research for regional development as well as to foster student development”. In addition, both Caribbean Export and the UWI highlighted the importance of the export of education services as a key strategic opportunity for the Caribbean to exploit to support the region’s economic transformation. It is anticipated that as their ten-plus years’ relationship continues to flourish, further collaboration to propel access to new markets for the UWI educational products would be on the card.