Mighty Sector, Marginal Exports: Reflections on the SBA MSME Report 2026
Alicia Nicholls$*Despite accounting for 98% of businesses in Barbados, fewer than one in ten Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) export. This striking finding was reported in the Small Business Association (SBA)’s newly released ‘National Survey of the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise Sector 2026’. It underscores a persistent challenge within our import-dependent economy: how can we get more of our firms exporting. In this SRC Trading Thoughts, I reflect on some of the report’s findings from a trade policy perspective.
Deal or No Deal: The Case for a CARICOM-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement
Chryssanti Braithwaite$*Amidst a resilient global economy characterized by shifting trade patterns and the introduction of new Preferential Trade Agreements (namely EU-MERCOSUR), the strategic importance of the Southern Common Market, which is also known as MERCOSUR (Mercado Común del Sur in Spanish) presents a captivating case for deepening the relationship with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Established in 1991,
Navigating the U.S. Ban on Grenada’s Fish Exports: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategic Pathways for Trade Resilience
Kamisha L. Redhead$*The recent restriction on fish and fish product exports from Grenada to the United States represents a significant development for the island’s fisheries sector and for Caribbean trade policy more broadly. While the ban presents immediate economic challenges for fisherfolk, exporters, and processors, it also highlights deeper structural issues surrounding regulatory compliance, market diversification, and long-term trade resilience.
20 YEARS LATER… HAS THE CARICOM SINGLE MARKET REALLY GROWN?
Kai-Ann D. Skeete, PhD.$*January 2006 marked the official start of the CARICOM Single Market after its launch in Kingston, Jamaica. Then, we were hopeful that the Caribbean would see the benefits of the free movement of goods, labour, capital and services across the region. Late 2025 brought a welcomed development when Barbados, Belize, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the four Member States to implement free movement. However, 20 years later, there has been no remarkable growth of intra-regional trade. The cause of this could be as a result of the endless barriers, boundaries and borders that prevent genuine movement. There’s a popular saying in the world of International Trade that goes “Countries do not trade, but people do”. Simple but profound, it catalyses us to pause and think about what exactly is my role in increasing intra-regional trade?
IS THE REGION READY TO CONSIDER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PETROCARICOM?
Dr. R. Mark Kirton$*For member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the issue of energy security has been featured frequently in regional discourse, with only minimal identifiable outcomes. Member states have, over the years, discussed policy frameworks that aim to develop secure, reliable and affordable energy supplies, in the medium and long term, and to enhance energy security through renewable energy integration. Regrettably, calls for bold, forward-thinking approaches to energy security in the region through strengthened partnerships, advocated by the CARICOM Secretariat, have not resonated widely across regional borders.
A Primer into 21st Century Caribbean Geopolitics: The Importance of Guyana
Kai-Ann D. Skeete, PhD$*In a region with 15 full member states, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is comprised of numerous borders, ranging from 10 land borders and 37 maritime boundaries. Cedric Griffith argues that CARICOM Member States need to acknowledge that boundaries are no longer ‘fundamentally unique, sensitive and bilateral in nature’, especially given the plethora of disputed borders and boundaries within the Community, from Guyana to Venezuela, Belize and Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. CARICOM’s position on all border disputes regarding its Member States has been basically the same, once the “sovereignty, security and territorial integrity” of the Member State is ensured.
Geopolitically, the CARICOM region, as we know it, is comprised of numerous small and very small territories in the insular Caribbean, Central and South America. Due to our geographic location, we are located relatively close to extremely large and powerful global actors, with the USA in the North, Brazil in the South an
Power Plays and the CARICOM-Caribbean Reality: Reflecting on 2025
Vanessa Mason$*Rupture and upheaval have characterised the international trade landscape in 2025. Perspectives on whether this represents progress or peril diverge sharply depending on whom you ask. Those who believe in the dividends of international institutions, laws, principles and norms may
Global Green Shipping Plan Left Floating
Vanessa Mason$*The finalisation of the United Nations’ (U.N.) International Maritime Organization (IMO) Net-zero Framework (NZF) is said to hold great promise for climate action in the form of green shipping, but there is great uncertainty surrounding its future. What was supposed to be a step towards establishing a global legally binding framework to…
Webinar Recording – Industrial Policy and Regional Cooperation
On October 16, 2025, the SRC co-hosted a webinar on “Industrial Policy and Regional Cooperation: Lessons for CARICOM”. Please see the webinar recording
SRC welcomes new Research Assistant – Vanessa Mason!
SRC welcomes new Research Assistant – Vanessa Mason! Author: In October 2025, the SRC welcomed Ms. Vanessa Mason as its new Research Assistant. Vanessa is a graduate of the MITP programme’s Cohort 21, graduating with a Distinction and as Valedictorian of her class. She brings to the SRC expertise in International Relations, having attained a Bachelor of Science in International Relations (Special) with First Class Honours from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) in 2020. Vanessa’s responsibilities at the SRC include research and administrative support, social media and website coordination. Vanessa keenly looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to the SRC’s mission and work programme. You src in the news October 20, 2025 In October 2025, the SRC welcomed Ms. Vanessa Mason as its new Research Assistant. Vanessa is a graduate of the MITP programme’s Cohort 21, graduating with a Distinction and as Valedictorian of her class. She brings to the SRC expertise in International Relations, having attained a Bachelor of Science in International Relations (Special) with First Class Honours from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) in 2020. Vanessa’s responsibilities at the SRC include research and administrative support, social media and website coordination. Vanessa keenly looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to the SRC’s mission and work programme. You can learn more about Vanessa on her SRC Team page here.