RG-T3257 Strengthening Capacity to Improve Trading Across Borders in Dominica (US$33,062 disbursed) (2018-2019)

Counterpart: Dominica Customs and Excise Division

Objective: To stimulate trade by improving efficiencies for completing cross-border transactions in Dominica

Results: The Domica Customs and Excise Division had been implementing a comprehensive Action Plan for improving Trading Across Borders, including online application and issuing of import and export permits, improving communication and coordination of work flows between the various border agencies, upgrading the online payment infrastructure, formulating an integrated National Risk Management Strategy for security and compliance purposes, including establishing a National Border Risk Management Group comprising representatives of the Border Control Agencies, upgrading legislation related to the operations of all Border Control Agencies to reflect current best practices, improving capacity to monitor the average release times of consignments, beyond customs and covering all border crossing requirements, implementing an enhanced facilitation program for selected companies.

This project directly supported the implementation of training of customs brokers, tariff clerks, shipping agents and customs officers to enhance their competency in specialized matters related to customs and trade, and enacting customs brokers and tariff clerk regulations to professionalize these professions, thus complementing the work of the Dominica Customs and Excise Division. The project financed the training of 220 participants (customs officers, customs brokers, tariff clerks and shipping agents), of which 53 met the requirements for formal registration as customs brokers or tariff clerks. The training consisted of six modules: customs valuation, international trade agreements, rules of origin, Customs Controls, HS Classification, and ASYCUDA World module.

RG-T3322 – Technology Extension Services (TES) in the Caribbean (2019-2024)

Objective: Technology Extension Services is a form of innovation policy that sought to accelerate the pace at which Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) “catch up” with more advanced firms by transferring cutting-edge technology. This Caribbean-wide project worked with agri-business, manufacturing, and tourism firms.

Results: This project funded 75 technology audits and assessments for MSMEs, with 50 of the firms also benefiting from partial implementation.

Dominica’s Participation

The Dominican firms that benefited included Atlantique View Resort, Benjo’s Seamoss and Agro-processing Company Ltd., and Gas Supplies and Equipment Ltd.

RG-T3325 – Improving Climate Resiliency in Dominica through Foreign Direct Investment (US$225,200 disbursed) (2019-2024)

Counterpart: Invest Dominica Authority (IDA)

Objective: To (i) sensitize local public and private sector stakeholders and senior officials within Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) of Caribbean Community member countries on “Making the Shift to Sustainable Foreign Direct Investment”; and (ii) to strengthen the capacity of the Invest Dominica Authority (IDA) to attract sustainable foreign direct investment and contribute to the achievement of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica’s (GOCD’s) long-term vision to make Dominica the first Climate Resilient Country.

Results: The project benefitted the Invest Dominica Authority with a new investment promotion strategy focused on sustainable investment, which includes an action plan, four investment profiles, and a scorecard assessment for sustainable development. A new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database was also provided to monitor and follow up on investment leads better, and an updated website was designed (https://investdominica.com/) aligned with the new strategy. The project also provided funds to execute two investment forums and three online marketing campaigns. New marketing and communication materials were developed, as well as reports on how to manage social media channels for investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and aftercare services considerations.

The design and development of the strategies and knowledge products and the delivery of training helped build capacity among the IDA personnel, thereby increasing their effectiveness and ensuring the project’s sustainability. Another milestone was an increase in awareness of the relevance of fostering sustainable investment across the key stakeholders and public dissemination of the strategy. For context, the government of Dominica had requested this project in response to the destruction from Hurricane Maria (2017), which raised the importance of attracting green investment to the island.

Despite delays due to COVID, the progression of the project was successful. The project allowed IDA to increase the number of inquiries from targeted investors that it handled, the number of investment decisions taken and announced by investors, and the value of investment attracted within the target group. Awareness also increased among relevant government officials and stakeholders related to the definition of sustainable FDI and the methods of attracting it.

RG-T3519 – Experiential Learning of Cluster Development Best Practices in Small and Vulnerable Countries (US$167,240 for Dominica) (2019-2024)

Counterpart in Dominica: Dominica Export Import Agency (DEXIA)

Objective: To enhance the capacity of Business Support Organisations (BSOs) in small and vulnerable Caribbean countries to function as effective Cluster Support Organisations (CSOs), by enabling them to apply the cluster methodology learnt over the past several months. This TC uses an experiential learning approach to further institutionalize international best practices in cluster development in Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. This objective was directly in line with the overall focus of the second phase of the Compete Caribbean program – to ensure lasting change beyond its direct activities by piloting and transferring best-practices in private sector development to national entities.

The Dominica Cocoa project component aimed to capitalize on high global demand for fine flavor cocoa by expanding production (severely impacted by Hurricane Maria) and improving productivity and quality to meet specialty market buyer requirements and ensure a consistent supply.

Results: In Dominica, this project financed: Capacity building around market intelligence, product standardization, cocoa sensory, climate smart cocoa production, DNA fingerprinting, soil fertility, cadmium testing and mitigation of cadmium. 12 workshops were delivered and 234 persons trained (163W, 71M), including 19 government officials. About 10,000 cocoa plantlets were propagated and distributed to help farmers build their capacity to produce their own planting material and encourage the replanting of dormant cocoa fields. A marketing consultant was contracted to conduct market intelligence, improve product label designs and standardize cocoa value-added products in the domestic market. Recommendations were made for two markets, Belgium and USA as potential markets for cluster members seeking to export in the medium and long term. Armed with these refined tools, value adders in the space are now better positioned to take advantage of domestic and export opportunities.  It should be noted however, that due to cocoa production challenges – mostly climate-related – the production of cocoa in Dominica has been low, forcing agro-processors to seek inputs via imports.

As an outcome of the project, the cluster has submitted proposals to the Dominica Bureau of Standards and the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality to develop national and regional standards for the cocoa industry that will support ESG compliance and quality ecosystem for fine flavor cocoa[1].

Ninety Dominican cocoa farmers (including 30 women) benefited from the project, with ten (including three women) adopting new processes, products, organizational, or marketing methods. The project also contributed to 572 new jobs, including 172 for women.

The project benefitted 90 Dominican cocoa farmers (of which 30 were women), 10 of them (of which 3 were women) introduced new processes, products or organizational and marketing methods as a direct result of the support, and the project contributed to the creation of 572 new jobs, of which 172 were for women.

RG-T3792 – Capacity Building of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) to implement community-based tourism (CBT) clusters and stimulate innovation in the new normal (US$1,000,000 in total of which US$333,333 was disbursed for Dominica) (2021-2024)

Executing Agency: Caribbean Tourism Organization

Counterpart in Dominica: Ministry of Tourism

Objective: To enhance the capacity of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) to support Community-Based Tourism (CBT) clusters in the region. This was the third phase of regional capacity-building effort launched by Compete Caribbean in 2017 to institutionalize the cluster methodology in the region.

Participation of Dominica: The Kalinago Territory Cluster

This cluster project proposed to leverage the cultural assets of the Kalinago community, the indigenous people of the Caribbean residing in small villages and hamlets, across a 3,700-acre district in northeast Dominica,  to attract more visitors to the area, and to strengthen linkages with bay oil farmers  operating under the Dominica Essential Oils & Spices Cooperative (DEOSC). The Kalinago people are primarily engaged in farming and crafts production, with 24 businesses, employing over 200 persons on average, of which 60% are women. Sixteen of the 24 businesses are also women-owned. The membership of the DEOSC is spread in various rural villages in the Southeast of Dominica and have some level of cultural affinity with the Kalinago people. The DEOSC has 564 active members, more than half of which are women, who are primarily engaged in the cultivation of bay leaves, spices, and the distillation and export of bay oil.  Despite their unique physical attributes and potential to offer authentic culture and heritage-based tourism products and services, these communities continue to be among those identified as having the highest levels of poverty and indigence in Dominica.

The project aimed to foster opportunities to sustain local livelihoods by enhancing market readiness, addressing capacity gaps through certification and training, establishing health and safety standards, and fostering linkages between the two communities for shared economic benefits linked to CBT, culture and heritage tourism.

Results:

In fulfillment of these objectives, the project financed an Agro-Business/Processing consultancy for the DEOSC, which produced a new supply chain management tool, and initiated a North American buyer promotion and awareness campaign. The campaign resulted in DEOSC being introduced to 41 companies, including manufacturers of skin care and hair care products. Samples of DEOSC’s bay oil along with recent re-certification documents were sent to at least 15 companies for follow-up engagement. A Business Readiness & Change Management Strategy was also produced, and training workshops held on Good Agricultural Practices for DEOSC members.

The Kalinago community benefitted from a Product Development & Market Readiness consultancy, which included product development audits to identify gaps and needs for SMEs in order to improve their business sophistication. Training workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions were held in business skills and small business assistance for cluster members and youth in the Kalinago Territory. A Tour Guide Training & Certification program was facilitated by the Dominica State College in conjunction with the Discover Dominica Authority focused on cultural and nature tours within the Kalinago community. The number of private sector female individuals trained was 52, which exceeded the initial baseline of 15 females. Similarly, for male private sector individuals, a total of 48 were trained, which exceeded the initial baseline of 10. Specifically, twenty-one (21) residents of the Kalinago Territory participated in the tour guide training (12 women and 9 men), eighteen (18) of which successfully completed the examination and are in the process of becoming certified tour guides. This will provide opportunities for employment and income generation and allow for more retention of value within the community (previous practice was engagement of tour guides from outside the Kalinago Territory). A total of 22 hours of training on the CBT toolkit was also delivered to Tourism MSMEs.

The DEOSC and Kalinago Territory further benefitted from a Marketing Strategy, Digital Infrastructure, and Branding Consultancy, furnishing new websites, corporate rebranding and marketing collaterals, including new/enhanced logos for the DEOSC, the Kalinago Territory, and market/export ready SMEs. Ownership and control of these digital assets was also vested in the cluster members and trainings were held to facilitate maintenance and content sharing beyond the project end. Notably, both key BSOs, DEOSC and the Kalinago Barana Aute (KBA), were operating for well over 7 years without websites and with dated logos/identities.  Another key outcome has been the strengthening of linkages between the two main communities in the cluster – Kalinago Territory and the DEOSC farmers in the South-East Dominica, facilitating the bundling of product offerings to generate sustained and enhanced benefits for the cluster. The websites developed are as follows: www.deoscdominica.com ; www.discoverkalinago.com (note the Kalinago site is not currently operational given internal discussions at the Ministry of Tourism regarding making the site national (.dm) as opposed to commercial (.com).

RG-T3813 – Blockchain Innovation in the Caribbean (US$177,221 disbursed for Dominica) (2021-2023)

Counterparts: Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD) and the Dominica Cooperative Societies League Ltd.

Objective: To stimulate the adoption of innovative technological solutions to pervasive challenges in the Caribbean and to strengthen the emergence of a blockchain innovation hub in the region that will support the acceleration of digital transformation in an inclusive and responsible manner.

Results: In Dominica, the project developed a blockchain-based parametric insurance product that provides a flexible and cost-effective way to help financially underserved populations, including homeowners and small businesses, to recover more quickly after major climate events. A prototype product was created, and a total of 28 policies were sold to test the solution. Insurance policy options were developed to minimize the complexity of the product, keep premiums as low as financially feasible and to ensure maximum probability that policyholders will receive a payout after an event.

The project resulted in a business spinoff called Parametro which has raised additional private investment and is aiming to scale to other Caribbean islands, starting with Grenada. The project also raised visibility amongst donors seeking to expand climate tech initiatives across the region, such as the USAID Caribbean RESET Program.

In 2024, Parametro paid off US$1.5 million in benefits to victims of Hurricane Beryl in Grenada, through a collective insurance policy with the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association (GCNA).

RG-T4003 – Technology Extension Services (TES) in the Caribbean Blue Economy and Essential Services Sectors (US$25,000 disbursed for Dominica) (2021-ongoing)

Objective: To support firms in the blue economy and essential services sectors in the acceleration of technological diffusion, adoption, and upgrading, thus providing support to the Caribbean in diversifying the blue economy and strengthening the delivery of goods and services in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: This project delivered technology extension services to a group of businesses in every country. In addition, the project implemented a supplementary capacity building plan for a sub-group of women-owned businesses with growth potential.

Beneficiaries from Dominica included: 100% Green Inc; Hey Mama (this woman-owned Sea Moss Processing company received additional mentoring under the women-owned firm intervention)

[1] CROSQ has established a committee to start the development of regional cocoa standards.