Export/Trade Finance Solutions for Women-led SMEs

In celebration of International Women’s Day, the SRC held its 5th Annual Distinguished Woman in Trade Award Presentation and Roundtable Webinar on Friday, March 6, 2026.The session opened with the presentation of the 5th SRC Distinguished Woman in Trade Award to Ms. Andrea Ewart, Esq. The award presentation was followed by the insightful roundtable on “Export/Trade Finance Solutions for Women-led SMEs”. The discussion featured panelists Ermine Darroux-Francis (African Export-Import Bank), Teocah Dove (Caribbean Export Development Agency), Dr. Lynette Holder (Barbados Small Business Association), Dr. Jonathan Lashley (Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies) and Karen Sue (Barbados Trust Fund Limited).

The session yielded several key insights. A notable concern raised was the awareness gap that persists among entrepreneurs, despite ongoing public outreach efforts by funding agencies, many business owners remain uninformed about the full range of financing options available to them. The discussion also shed light on the common pitfalls that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) encounter when applying for financing. Poor record keeping continues to undermine many applications, as does the tendency of entrepreneurs to try to manage every aspect of their business alone rather than seeking support. Many SMEs also miss out by not attending sensitisation seminars on available grant programmes, leaving them ill-equipped to navigate the application process. Further challenges highlighted included failing to align grant applications with the specific criteria of the relevant programme and lacking a clear understanding of their own business financials.

If you were unable to attend or would like to review the session, the recording is available for viewing below.