TEPA and ITC… At It Again!
TEPA’s CEO Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood and ITC Executive Director Arancha González sign MOU
International Trade Centre (ITC) and The Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) have agreed to step up collaboration to boost the export capacity of the country’s enterprises. A document highlighting the particulars of this agreement was signed by TEPA’s Chief Executive Officer, Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood and ITC Executive Director Arancha González, who was on her first official visit to St. Lucia and the Caribbean Region.
ITC has worked closely with TEPA before and was integral in the development of its Trade Information System and the 2004 National Export Strategy (NES). This new agreement will allow for a review and update of the NES, which was developed in conjunction with the Government of Saint Lucia. The update of the NES will reflect a changed economic climate and different export priorities, allowing the island to grab a greater share of regional and global trade.
As part of the collaboration, ITC will provide technical support and advisory services to strengthen the institutional capacities of TEPA, enabling the agency to provide better services to its clients. A main goal of this renewed partnership will be to increase the number of St. Lucian enterprises participating in regional and global trade. This capacity building will also be extended to both public and private organisations and enterprises across the country.
From Left to Right: Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood, Honourable Emma Hippolyte, Arancha González, Vincent Peter, Yvonne Agard, Glenfield Gilbert, Arlene Baptiste-Joseph, Anthony John, Matthew Anthony Wilson
In addition, ITC will build on its expertise to provide support to ‘Taste of St Lucia’, an ongoing marketing campaign in the UK to brand products made in St. Lucia, including products from the food and beverage sector and the services industry.
Ms. González said: “St. Lucia has great potential to expand and diversify its export base. It is an island which has much to offer in terms of agro-processing and the skills of its people and the continued collaboration between TEPA and ITC will leverage this to create exports which can compete on the global stage.”
During her visit to St. Lucia on February 9th, Ms. González also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Investment, and Consumer Affairs. This Memorandum sets out to strengthen the cooperation between the Government and ITC on trade development and export promotion.
