Over 200 OECS Trade in Services Practitioners Receive Specialised Training

With the goal of strengthening trade policy development, regulatory reform, and trade negotiating capacity in the services sector across OECS Protocol Member States, the Trade Policy Development Unit of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has undertaken a comprehensive capacity-building initiative targeting regional trade in services stakeholders across the public sector, private sector, and civil society.

Titled Technical Support to OECS Independent Protocol Member for Specialized Training to Strengthen and Enhance Knowledge Capacity, Policymaking, and Negotiating Skills of Public and Private Sector Stakeholders in the Services Sector, the initiative was funded by the European Union through the 11th EDF Regional Integration through Growth, Harmonisation, and Technology (RIGHT) Programme.

Following a successful Inception Meeting held on February 25, 2026, a series of in-country training sessions were conducted in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines between June and August 2026. The final training session is scheduled to take place virtually for Montserrat in September 2026.

The services sector remains a critical driver of economic growth and diversification in the Eastern Caribbean. This initiative actively supports the implementation of obligations under the Revised Treaty of Basseterre toward the establishment of an economic union as a single financial and economic space in the OECS.

Speaking during the launch of the Regional Specialised Services Sector Training and Capacity Building Workshop in Antigua and Barbuda, Mrs. Delores Francis, Senior Technical Specialist – Trade, noted:

This series of specialised workshops forms part of the OECS Commission's continuing investment in supporting OECS Protocol Member States to enhance and strengthen the technical skills and knowledge needed to confidently navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of international services trade and translate the commitments of trade agreements and the Revised Treaty of Basseterre into commercial opportunities for businesses and citizens.

The specialised training program covers nine modules aimed at enhancing the technical knowledge and competencies of participants in policy formulation, regional integration, and trade negotiations in trade in services. Key areas of instruction include:

Additionally, the training highlighted modern trends in the servicification of manufacturing, demonstrating the contributions of business services to national employment, output, and value chain development. Targeted priority sectors under this initiative include ICT, higher education, architecture, engineering, culture, the blue economy, digital health, business process outsourcing (BPO), construction, and medical tourism.

By addressing regulatory bottlenecks, removing trade barriers, and equipping stakeholders with modern policy-making and negotiating skills, this project establishes a sustainable pathway toward enhanced economic competitiveness and deeper regional integration.