Executive Forum 2001
Montreux, Switzerland
26-29 September 2001

Interviews

Networking in the Caribbean: a symbiotic relationship José Luis Liranzo, Programme Manager, Trade Information Services, Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export)

Liranzo: We were created as a response to a European Union programme. All the CARICOM countries, the Dominican Republic and Haiti got together and created the agency as a counterpart. We included representatives of the public sector and private sector are on our board. As a result, a lot of countries in the Caribbean use our work for the development of their national trade policy and for trade agreements. From the very beginning we tried to focus on private-sector organizations. We don’t speak of SMEs – all the companies in the Caribbean are SMEs the way such firms are defined by ITC. We don’t have big companies. So the whole Carribbean business community are our clients.

We also set out to help national TPOs. In those member countries that did not have national TPOs, they wanted us to help create national bodies and gave us funds for that. Those funds were incorporated into our programme of institutional development. Under the programme we linked with OECS, the Organization of East Caribbean states, with JAMPRO in Jamaica, TIDCO in Trinidad and with other trade ministries, chambers of commerce and associations of exporters. We helped set BELTRADE in Belize, we have a good relationship with GOINVEST in Guyana, and we created STPO, the Suriname trade promotion organization. We not only provided them with information and assistance in how to run the organization but also with logistical supplies such as computer equipment, databases, etc.

Because of that particular institutional development programme, we able to establish very strong linkages with those organizations, and we created a network whereby they help us in implementing some national programmes and we help them by giving them information and other strategic assistance for them to implement their own programmes. We have developed a symbiotic relationship. They needed us for some things and we needed them for some things. And that relationship has continued to this day.

We also named representatives of Caribbean Export to the various markets. I speak of markets because these people were not just versed in dealing with TPOs but they also know the market part of the business. They assisted us in gathering information for our private sector clients. Also they assisted us in promoting our services that were targeting companies.

Liranzo: We have everyone on our database, giving us a mailing list that we use regularly to communicate decisions, new developments in our programme. To those that have email we distribute TradeWatch, an electronic publication we produce every week which reports on what is happening in the trade world but also covers business opportunities for the private sector. A lot of our members call us by phone and request information or assistance. We have multi-technological linkages. I think that is basic to the success we have had in communicating the organization and our image among our members, around 10 TPOs, around 40 trade correspondents, our board members from whom we request help in promoting activities and gathering information: maybe 80-90 specific companies, organizations and individuals.

Liranzo: If private organizations are successful in getting together, it means that there was political will to do so. And we had the political framework already established under CARICOM, whose agreement speaks of regional integration, free trade, free movement of persons etc. That work was done before we came on the scene. Then the Dominican Republic and Haiti joined the regional effort through CARIForum. The trade agreements have been very thoroughly prepared. That was why the implementation has been very easy – when the agreements were signed everybody had been in agreement well before on how the issues were covered. Then, when the Dominican Republic developed an agreement with the Central American republics and the Caribbean countries got interested in doing more trade with them, we were able to use the Dominican Republic as a bridge. That made our work much easier.

Now we are focusing on the Andean Pact countries. We are using the same kind of approach as in CARIForum: market research on products and seek some kind of agreement about conflicts and then through a forum of the private sector we hear what people have to say on each side.

There is also the geographical issue: we are close, an archipelago, and close to South America. Trinidad is only a few kilometers from Venezuela.

Third, is the language. Most of us speak the same language. For the others, we cater for them, too. We have an office in the Dominican Republic which has local staff, so it can serve as a kind of translation point for the rest of the Caribbean. Language instead of being an obstacle as become a reason for us to link together.