Business Climate and Competitiveness Enhancement Support Provided by the Compete Caribbean Programme

Authors :
Carlos Hinojosa
Organisation:
Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED)

In 2009, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DfID) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA, now Global Affairs Canada) partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to design a programme that would enhance the competitiveness of the Caribbean region by means of support to Private Sector Development and Competitiveness. The Compete Caribbean (2010- 2016) provided technical assistance grants and investment funding to support productive development policies, business climate reforms, clustering initiatives and Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SME) development activities in the Caribbean region. The ultimate goal of the Programme was to contribute to the increase in the standard of living and quality of life, and the enhancement of the competitiveness and economic growth of the 15 independent CARIFORUM countries. One of the specific objectives of the programme was to contribute to an improved enabling environment for business development, trade and integration. In addition, a focus on gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and environmental sustainability were also considered important for the programme delivery.