Women owned and led businesses in the Caribbean have an opportunity to access new markets through a partnership the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will be entering in, through its SheTrades Caribbean Hub with Caribshopper.
SheTrades Caribbean Hub, a joint initiative with the International Trade Centre (ITC) is a resource centre for women entrepreneurs in the region which provides access to technical training and capacity building; networking, mentoring, and coaching; and market access and investment opportunities.
According to the bank with this new partnership it is deepening its relationship with Caribshopper, an e-commerce platform designed to connect Caribbean businesses with global consumers by onboarding SheTrades Hub members in the institution’s 19 borrowing member states to sell their products through the digital marketplace.
The partnership which will be launched on February 4th will see women entrepreneurs in the region benefiting from a strengthened North American market access.
Caribshopper, the CBD said, connects regional businesses to consumers in the United States and Canada through its logistical hubs in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
Presently close to 10,000 Caribbean-made products from 650 brands are featured on the platform. Through this partnership, the CBD said Caribbean women entrepreneurs who are members of the Hub will enter an established virtual space to conduct business and receive logistics and in-market compliance support.
Lisa Harding, Acting Head of the Private Sector Division at the CBD said the initiative is important to women businesses in the region. “We’re building on our existing relationship with Caribshopper and helping to connect women entrepreneurs with international consumers. It is a powerful and empowering opportunity to use a digital platform to facilitate women to reach otherwise untapped markets and to navigate persisting logistical and financial constraints.”
Kadion Preston, Founder of Caribshopper said the company is thrilled to be partnering with SheTrades Caribbean Hub to provide women entrepreneurs with the tools they need to succeed on the global stage, adding that they are committed to ensuring that Caribbean women are equipped to take full advantage of the digital economy.
While the partnership will be officially launched virtually on February 4, members of SheTrades Caribbean Hub can begin to join Caribshoppers if they are interested.