St John’s, Antigua — A cadre of public and private sector officials from Antigua and Barbuda are scheduled to benefit from training aimed at equipping them to speak on matters related to the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
The training will be held in Antigua on Wednesday and Thursday and will be led by regional consulting firm Deloitte & Touche, hired by the CARICOM Secretariat, under the CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project (CTCP). The two-day session will be facilitated with assistance from Canada and hosted by Antigua and Barbuda’s ministry of trade, industry and commerce.
“The objective of the training is to ensure that identified spokespersons are better equipped to speak on the CSME, specifically in such areas as the rights contained under the CSME, the processes for all applications related to the CSME, the treatment of a CARICOM skilled national certificate holder and the future for a single jurisdiction for the establishment of companies and other businesses in the single market,” explained Ashaki Goodwin, the CSME’s focal point in Antigua and Barbuda.
Participants include officials from the Free Movement Committee; the Ministries of Trade, National Security and Labour; the Intellectual Property and Commerce Office; Customs and Excise Division; and representatives from the private sector.
Participants can expect a country report on the impact of the CSME in the Member State.
The effectiveness of the training will be weighed via improved understanding of the topics covered and a more equipped participant, able to better field questions on the CSME and apply learning to daily communication in the work-place.
The Community Strategic Plan (2015-2019 identifies, among other areas for priority focus , the accelerated implementation of the CSME, building competitiveness and unleashing key economic drivers to transition to growth and to generate employment and the development of human capital.