Updates

Curaçao’s national export strategy kicks off

18 mai 2022
ITC News

During Curaçao Export Week 2022, the small island developing State presented its national export strategy, designed with ITC support

Export is essential to Curaçao’s prosperity and economic development. Through export diversification, increased foreign exchange earnings, and better services to companies, the economy strives for efficiency, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Centred around “e-government for business” to facilitate exports, Curaçao’s new national export strategy encourages exports for Curaçao to become a resilient, sustainable economy. 

The implementation phase has been officially kicked off by Minister of Economic Development Ruisandro Cijntje during the opening of Curaçao Export Week 2022 on 16 May.

The goal of the national export strategy, designed with the support of the International Trade Centre (ITC), is to diversify the Curaçaoan economy and boost the island’s export performance, to realize the country’s national vision of: “Curaçao, where business succeeds”.

Priority sectors include the creative industries, education services, financial services, information technology ser­vices, port and maritime services, and blue bio­-economy. To resolve cross-cutting constraints affecting competitiveness and improve overall trade support services, individual trade support function strategies have been designed in areas that affect all exporters. These include skills and entrepreneurship, trade facilitation, trade information, and trade and investment promotion.

“The government is 100% behind the implementation of the strategy and we will implement it together; the public and private sector but also with the civil society/NGOs,” said Minister Cijntje during the opening. “We need to commit and work together to make this happen and realize great things for the sustainable future of Curaçao.”

Ultimately, the Government and ITC are confident that realizing the strategy will lead to more jobs, increased investment opportunities, and diversifying the country’s export and foreign exchange rise. This in turn would be reflected in real economic growth for Curaçao.

“Economic development, prosperity, and stability do not come easy,” said Anton Said, Chief of Export Strategy at ITC. “But together, we are going to make things happen. We at ITC will continue to work hand-in-hand with the government, private sector, and civil society to see that this strategy is indeed implemented.”