CAF creates new alliances to promote innovation and investments in the Caribbean

February 16, 2023

During the CARICOM meetings, held in Nassau, Belize, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America- signed two agreements (with the UWI and Caribbean Export) to promote innovation and research, and to increase exports and investments in the Caribbean.

The first agreement, signed with the University of the West Indies (UWI), will promote knowledge generation and economic and social policy decision-making in the Caribbean region.

The agreement will promote and develop projects in the following areas: Research, collection and analysis of data on development issues that affect Latin America and the Caribbean, with an emphasis on the historical, political and socioeconomic circumstances of the English-speaking Caribbean; Innovation and entrepreneurship to strengthen opportunities for business incubation and growth of the private sector in the Caribbean; Institutional strengthening to improve the productivity and sustainability of regional research and innovation and knowledge centers focused on addressing key issues such as climate change, economic diversification, food and energy security, and sport for development.

Among the activities that will be carried out are seminars, conferences and joint meetings, specialized academic and professional development courses, exchanges of teachers and students, internship opportunities at CAF, exchange of academic materials, research data, and the translation into English of CAF's MOOCs, among others.

The second agreement, signed with Caribbean Export, will allow the development research, exchange and analysis of data on development issues in the CARIFORUM countries, especially in areas related to private sector development. Additionally, both organizations will hold joint seminars and conferences on key areas of work, will conduct specialized training courses and professional development, such as personnel exchanges, temporary assignments and other professional development opportunities between both organizations.

The two organizations identified different areas of interest, such as sustainable development, trade and investment promotion, technology transfer and innovation, digital transformation, green energy and greater entrepreneurship, investment promotion and competitiveness to strengthen opportunities for sustainable growth of the private sector in CARIFORUM countries.