BRIDGETOWN, Barbados--The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in cooperation with the European Union (EU) announced on Monday, they are gearing up to provide grant funds to the Forum of the Caribbean Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States CARIFORUM private sector.
“The [Direct Assistance Grant Scheme – Ed.] DAGS is one of the Agency’s most direct ways of providing support to the CARIFORUM private sector. This reimbursement grant funding facility is designed to provide financial assistance to companies that are exporting or have the potential to export. Under the revised DAGS programme, the ceiling for grants has increased to 50,000 euros, with a minimum grant amount of 10,000 euros,” informed Caribbean Export Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton.
Over the next few months Caribbean Export will be sensitising businesses and Business Support Organisations (BSOs) across the region on the process to apply under the DAGS. This is to build the awareness of the programme ahead of the open call for proposals on April 23. Additionally, the Agency will be training representatives from in each of the CARIFORUM countries to become DAGS experts. Named Country Advisors, they will provide ongoing assistance to businesses during the application and reimbursement stages of the programme.
Luis Maia, First Counsellor, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Community Caricom/CARIFORUM, during his remarks, stressed the vital role of small businesses in the creation of employment and the reduction of unemployment and thus it was the intention of the EU to enhance the operation of small businesses in the Caribbean. Small businesses provide “opportunities for those seeking to empower themselves to be innovative in developing businesses in new niche areas that can likewise employ others and also contribute to the economy. It is these types of enterprises that the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme will seek to foster and grow so that they can be positioned to penetrate export markets in the wider Caribbean as well as internationally, particularly utilising the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement” said Maia.
The EU remains the world’s largest donor organisation and their cooperation with Caribbean Export to implement the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Private Sector Development Programme valued at 24 million euros is a key regional initiative ultimately to support the increased employment creation, inclusiveness, particularly for youth, women and indigenous groups, and overall poverty reduction in CARIFORUM states.
“Given the need for urgent foreign exchange inflows to each of our regional economies, it is my view that DAGS can be leveraged, as an innovated investment interruption of our fragile economies through the mapping of creative funding options like this with an equally commensurate enterprising business support regime,” expressed Donville Inniss, Barbados Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development. Minister Inniss went on to say, “I am therefore of the strong view that going forward the focus of access to capital and market interventions must primarily be on local enterprise competitiveness among those [medium, small and micro enterprises – Ed.] MSMEs that fall within identified special priority sectors of the region.”
DAGS is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally registered firms and individuals with the potential to export their products and services.
Direct assistance grants have typically been used by companies to modernise equipment, upgrade facilities to international food and quality standards, enhance products and packaging, implement alternative energy systems, train staff, develop collateral materials, market and promote products and services for export. DAGS provides a platform that supports Caribbean businesses to become more innovative and compete internationally.
