A CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) Mission visited Grenada from July 21 – 22, 2011 to conduct a series of consultations with the Ministry of Finance, and other key stakeholders including the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GCIC), the Grenada Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), the Grenada Bureau of Standards (GBS), the National Training Agency (NAT), the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA), the Inter Agency Group of Development Organisations (IAGDO), and the Department of Public Administration (DPA).
The CDF Mission Team was comprised of the Director of the Regional Development Division, Mr. Lenox Forte; Programme Specialist Mr. Errol Babb; and Consultant Mr. Herman Grant
The purpose of the Mission to Grenada was to:
Sensitize the key stakeholders on the work of the Fund;
Discuss the process for developing a Country Assistance Program (CAP); and
Obtain proposals on possible elements for inclusion in the Country Assistance Program Document.
In a Press Release by the Office of the CDF in Barbados on July 23, 2011, it was stated that:
“On July 22, 2011, the CDF completed a three day scoping Mission in Grenada, one of the eight beneficiary countries identified by CARICOM Heads of Government for the first cycle due to end in 2012. The objective of the Mission was to initiate discussions with stakeholders on possible inter related subprojects which could form the nucleus of a draft Country Assistance Programme (CAP).”
The Release further went on to say that: “The CDF was established by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramus to provide financial and technical assistance to disadvantaged countries regions and sectors to ameliorate dislocations in Member States which may be caused by the implementation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). In addition, the CDF assistance will support measures to reduce disparities among Member States so they can fully derive the benefits from the integration process.”
The Focal Point within the Ministry of Finance Grenada is Miss Yolande Newton.