Above: Bridgetown

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The next phase of the CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project is set to launch Monday in Barbados at the Island Inn Hotel.

The CARICOM-CIDA project, which is a contribution agreement between the government of Canada and the Caribbean Community, was signed in October 2007. It includes 12 CARICOM states and Haiti.

The contribution provided about $10.9 million to CARICOM to help with economic integration; another portion of the agreement focuses on Haiti’s participation in CARICOM.

The so-called Component 100 of the initiative, which is set for Monday’s launch, studies the operation of the Single Market Economy in each CARICOM member state.