As CARICOM Member States move closer to a Single Market and Economy (CSME), the role of the private sector will become increasingly important to manifest all the benefits anticipated from this massive regional transformation. With Dr Patrick Antoine, the Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO), we discuss the CPSO and CSME, including: How businesses, especially small and micro businesses, benefit from the work of the CPSO; What is the Twenty-Five by 2025 Initiative, and can the stated target be achieved by 2025; How he sees ICT facilitating the realisation of the Twenty-Five by 2025 target; And why haven’t Caribbean organisations more fully integrated technology into our operations.

 

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For over three decades Caribbean citizens have been waiting with bated breath for the realisation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and more importantly, all the benefits that should result. Similar to the European Union (EU) CSME should remove existing trade barriers and establish a Single Market which should facilitate the free movement of capital and skilled professionals, the right to establish businesses, provide regional services, and coordinate economic policies (Source:  CARICOM).

Not surprisingly, Caribbean policymakers are required to drive the CSME process, such as ensuring that the requisite enabling framework, particularly with respect to national and regional policies and laws, is in place. However, relatively little has been achieved to date, which arguably begs questions on the priority that has been given to achieving CSME.

However, while the region has been shuffling towards CSME, the business landscape globally has been changing. We now operate in a world of increased competitiveness, since we now operate in a global marketplace, with countries eager to benefit from diplomatic and trade-related partnerships – similar to what should occur under CSME.

To date, diplomacy and politics have been the main drivers of CSME, but the linchpin for its successful realisation and attendant benefits is in fact the private sector. To a considerable degree, the private sector is feeling the pinch of globalisation and competitiveness and has been keen to increase efficiencies and productivity and to improve economies of scale and scope. Hence, having the opportunity to sit at the regional table and emphasise the urgency with which outstanding issues must be addressed, is undoubtedly a good thing.

 

Introducing our guest

Dr. Patrick Antoine

Dr. Patrick Antoine is a renowned Caribbean Intellectual and Regional Thinker with a wealth of experience in both the public and private spheres. Dr. Patrick Antoine is an Economist by profession and holds over thirty (30) years of experience working throughout the Caribbean, North America, Latin America, and Africa. He has been a Consultant to several multinational corporations and has provided services to several Caribbean, African, and Latin American Governments on trade, investment and macro-policy issues.

Dr. Antoine is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the CARICOM Private Sector Organization (CPSO) Secretariat, the most recent Associate Institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which serves to mobilize private sector participation in the CARICOM Institutionality.

Dr. Antoine has served as Lead Technical Advisor, Regional Negotiating Machinery, CARICOM Negotiator Agriculture and Market Access, Ambassador to the World Trade Organization; Ambassador to CARICOM; Ambassador to the OECS; Grenada’s trade and Economic Commissioner to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Ambassador with responsibility for External Negotiations, and Chief Economic and Policy Advisor to the Government of Grenada. Dr. Antoine was appointed Special Advisor to the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) between 2018-2020.

He also sits as a Director on several regional boards, and has lectured in the Master in International Trade Policy Programme of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus between 2006-2019, and has also supervised several post-graduate students.

Dr. Antoine has written extensively on a wide range of macro-economic subjects including on productivity growth and competitiveness, international trade policy and economic integration, among other areas. He has authored several technical papers and studies in these areas.

 

Insights into our conversation

The impetus for our conversation with Dr Antoine was learning about the 25 by 2025 Initiative, which is the mandate given by Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados for the region “to reduce the extra-regional food import bill by 25% before 2025”, and wanting to discuss the role ICT could play in achieving that goal. However, since the CPSO is also a relatively new organisation, we also thought it opportune to learn more about its role and mandate, along with the role it believes ICT can play in moving the Caribbean region closer to CSME. Below are a sample of the questions posed to Dr Antoine during our conversation.

  1. To start us off, since CPSO is relatively new, share with us what CPSO is all about and the purpose that it serves.
  2. Who are the members of the CPSO, and how do businesses benefit from the work of the CPSO?
  3. One of the areas for which the CPSO has been garnering a lot of visibility is the Twenty-Five by 2025 Initiative. Please share with us some context for this target, and can it be achieved by 2025?
  4. How do you see ICT facilitating the realisation of the Twenty-Five by 2025 Initiative?
  5. What are the other areas that the CPSO is working on?
  6. Across the region, telecommunications and internet penetration are relatively high, smartphone use is also high. So why have we still not more fully integrated technology into our operations, especially to support and facilitate the regional integration that was committed to over 30 years ago?
  7. In relation to technology/ICT, what do you see as the priorities to better advance the needs and interests of the private sector across the region?

 

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Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select Links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  CPSO;  CARICOM;  Gerd Altmann (Pixabay); Mohamed Hassan (Pixabay); Nataliya Vaitkevich (Pexels)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez