The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) is now an official member of the Caribbean Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM) Network as of February 2020.
CARICHAM was officially launched on April 1, 2019.
The Network of CARICHAM was established to promote cooperation and collaboration between its 19-members within the Caribbean Basin. The grouping also seeks to improve the levels of trade and investment within the region and between the region and other trading partners.
CARICHAM would represent the interest of the private sector on regional and international issues; facilitate capacity building opportunities for members and representatives of the Chambers of Commerce; identify and undertake training, and facilitate other cooperation programs that will benefit the membership of the Chambers, as well as the next generation of Caribbean business leaders; foster innovation and strategic collaboration among members to increase global competitiveness of industries; develop and share business-to-business market intelligence; share experiences and best practice in areas such as trade and investment, renewable energy/energy efficiency, disaster risk reduction and climate change; and finally add value as well as identify opportunities for the members of the respective Chambers.
“I am very pleased that the Chamber has become a member of CARICHAM as it will benefit St. Maarten COCI registrants. The Chamber started its journey of connecting to the other Caribbean islands since 2018.
“We see this membership to further establish the working relation with CARICHAM as a strategic goal to improve the possible trade between the islands, improved working relations and contribute to the overall economic development of the entire Caribbean Region. We would add value to the terms Growing our Network to improve our net worth,” President of the COCI Board Benjamin Ortega said on Sunday.
The members of CARICHAM are Chambers of Commerce & Industry from the following countries: Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and Guadeloupe.