SAINT LUCIA will later this year host the inaugural Enterprise Development Forum and Marketplace (EDFM).
The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) says the June 13-14 forum will be held to bring experts from various interrelated fields to dialogue, network and find solutions for some of the key issues affecting the Caribbean.
The proceedings will take the form of panel discussions during the forum, followed by a lively marketplace where businesses will showcase their products and services.
A major aim of the event is to stimulate more entrepreneurship in the region by bringing together international companies, local businesses and service providers.
The forum will be addressed by Dr. Richard Brown, the Director for Single Market and Sectoral Programmes at the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, and Sustainable Development Specialist Dr. James Fletcher.
Brown, an international trade specialist, will make a presentation on “Regional Business and Trade Facilitation’ while Dr Fletcher, a former St. Lucia government minister, will open the event with discourse on “Sustainability Defined”.
The two-day meeting will discuss a number of issues, including energy management, solid waste management, doing business in the region, tourism development and banking on sustainability: Investment & Making the Right Choice.
The CTO said as the effects of climate change continue to affect economies of the region and there is a call for more sustainable practices to be employed where necessary, to promote resilience.
It should also not be left to the governments to come up with the solutions.
It is an opportune time for the private sector and especially new entrepreneurs to capitalise on the potential these discussions provide – and it’s with this in mind, the CTO says, that the EDFM was created.