Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Category: South-South trade

  • Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 30–September 5, 2026

    Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 30–September 5, 2026

    Dear Reader,

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week August 30–September 5, 2026!

    📌 THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    • Haiti’s HOPE/HELP trade preferences are extended through December 31, 2028, providing greater certainty for the country’s export-oriented apparel sector.
    • Belize advances implementation of its Electronic Single Window for Trade with technical lessons from Jamaica.
    • Cuba introduces regulatory reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment and facilitating trade and tourism.
    • Caribbean agricultural stakeholders identify a potential US$1.5 billion annual market opportunity from replacing a quarter of the region’s food imports with regional production.
    • The United States extends AGOA through 2028, preserving preferential market access for eligible sub-Saharan African economies.
    • The U.S. trade deficit widens 24.4% to US$88.6 billion in July as imports rise and exports fall.
    • Global food prices climb to their highest level since late 2022, renewing concerns for food-import-dependent economies.

    🌴 CARIBBEAN TRADE STORIES

    Haiti secures extension of HOPE/HELP trade preferences through 2028

    Ministere du Commerce: Haiti Ministry of Commerce and Industry/U.S. Congress: Haiti secured a further extension of the HOPE/HELP trade preference programmes through December 31, 2028, preserving preferential access to the U.S. market for eligible Haitian textile and apparel products. Haiti’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry described the extension as crucial to the competitiveness of the textile industry, exports, employment and investment. The programmes had expired in September 2025 before being retroactively restored in February 2026, making the new extension particularly important for providing greater certainty to producers and investors.

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    Belize advances Electronic Single Window for Trade

    San Pedro Sun: Belize has taken another step towards implementing its Electronic Single Window for Trade following a four-day knowledge exchange with the Jamaica Customs Agency. Belizean officials examined Jamaica’s experience with its JSWIFT single-window platform as they work to digitalise and streamline import, export and border procedures. The initiative is intended to improve inter-agency coordination, reduce administrative inefficiencies and strengthen Belize’s overall trade-facilitation environment.

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    Cuba rolls out reforms to attract foreign investment and facilitate trade

    Reuters: Cuba unveiled new regulations on September 3 aimed at attracting foreign investment, trade and tourism as the country seeks additional capital and foreign exchange amid severe economic pressures. The measures are part of a broader effort to reduce bureaucratic obstacles and provide greater opportunities for private and foreign businesses. The reforms are particularly noteworthy given Cuba’s historically state-dominated economic model and come against the backdrop of continuing U.S. economic pressure.

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    Dominica advances proposed US$75 million cruise village

    Dominica News Online: Dominica is moving towards an agreement with a foreign investor for the development of a US$75 million cruise village in Roseau North, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced this week. The privately financed development is expected to create opportunities for vendors, tour operators, taxi operators and other local businesses serving cruise visitors. Given tourism’s role as a major services export for Dominica, the project represents a potentially significant addition to the country’s tourism infrastructure and foreign investment pipeline.

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    Caribbean farmers eye US$1.5 billion regional food-market opportunity

    Antigua Observer: Caribbean farmers and agribusinesses could capture an estimated US$1.5 billion annually if CARICOM succeeds in replacing a quarter of its approximately US$6 billion food-import bill with regional production, according to Wayne Elliott, Manager of Technical Programmes at the Caribbean Export Development Agency. Elliott highlighted consistency of supply and competitiveness as important challenges but argued that aggregation and more structured agribusiness models could help unlock investment. Sustainable agriculture, alongside trade and logistics, digital transformation and the green transition, will be a focus of the Caribbean Investment Forum in Barbados in October.

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    📢 STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO!

    WTO Public Forum to put services trade at centre of global trade debate

    WTO: The World Trade Organization released the programme for its 2026 Public Forum on September 1. Entitled Powering the Future, the September 15–17 gathering will feature 113 sessions and focus heavily on trade in services, including digital services, development, jobs and the future of the rules-based trading system. The WTO projects global services trade volumes to expand by 4.8% in 2026, underscoring the growing importance of services to global trade and development strategies.

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    Madagascar launches safeguard investigation into rice imports

    WTO: Madagascar notified the WTO Committee on Safeguards on September 2 that it had initiated a safeguard investigation on August 31 covering imports of hulled, semi-whitened or whitened, polished or glazed, and broken rice. Safeguard investigations examine whether increased imports are causing or threatening serious injury to domestic producers and may ultimately lead to temporary import restrictions if WTO requirements are satisfied. The case is particularly noteworthy given rice’s importance for food security and the wider policy challenge of balancing domestic agricultural production with affordable food imports.

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    WTO examines trade finance amid volatile global financial conditions

    WTO: New WTO analysis published on September 3 examines how volatile global financial conditions affect the availability of trade finance and consequently international trade flows. The research finds that tighter financial conditions can restrict trade-finance availability, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies. Given the importance of short-term financing to exporters and importers, the findings have particular relevance for MSMEs and developing economies where financing costs can already constrain international competitiveness.

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    🌎 GLOBAL TRADE STORIES

    ASIA

    Indonesia returns to trade surplus as exports outperform expectations

    Reuters: Indonesia recorded its first trade surplus in three months in July, posting a surplus of approximately US$130 million as exports grew faster than expected. Analysts nevertheless cautioned that strong import demand could continue to place pressure on the external balance. The performance of Southeast Asia’s largest economy provides another indicator of shifting trade conditions across the region amid changing global demand and tariff uncertainty.

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    India and Belgium aim to double bilateral trade

    Reuters: India and Belgium agreed on September 3 to strengthen economic ties and pursue a goal of doubling bilateral trade within five years. The two countries also agreed to establish an Investment Fast-Track Mechanism to facilitate Belgian investment in India, while identifying areas including clean energy, critical minerals, semiconductors and defence for expanded cooperation. The initiative reflects India’s broader efforts to diversify economic partnerships and attract investment into strategic sectors.

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    Singapore commits US$173 million to strengthening its fintech ecosystem

    Reuters: Singapore will invest approximately S$220 million (US$173 million) over three years to strengthen its fintech ecosystem and support innovation. The initiative reinforces Singapore’s position as a leading Asian financial and digital-services hub and illustrates the growing importance of fintech infrastructure, innovation and digital services to competitiveness in international services trade.

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    LATIN AMERICA

    Mexico presses Washington for relief from automotive and steel tariffs

    Reuters: Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard met U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick this week as Mexico continued pressing Washington for progress on U.S. tariffs affecting automobiles, steel and aluminium. The measures remain a significant source of friction for highly integrated North American manufacturing and automotive supply chains. The talks come amid wider uncertainty surrounding the trading relationship between the United States and Mexico and the future operation of the USMCA.

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    New foreign investment in Mexico stalls amid USMCA uncertainty

    Reuters: New foreign investment in Mexico has weakened as businesses delay decisions amid uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy and the future of the USMCA. The slowdown is particularly important given Mexico’s emergence as a major nearshoring destination for manufacturers seeking production locations close to the U.S. market. Prolonged uncertainty could delay new manufacturing projects and weaken some of the investment gains generated by supply-chain diversification in recent years.

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    Mexico opens anti-dumping investigation into Japanese steel

    Reuters: Mexico launched an anti-dumping investigation into steel-sheet imports originating in Japan following a complaint alleging price discrimination and injury to domestic industry. Mexico’s Economy Ministry will examine the imports regardless of their immediate country of export and could ultimately impose anti-dumping duties if the investigation establishes that dumped imports are causing injury. The case adds to the growing use of trade-remedy instruments in an increasingly contested global steel market.

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    AFRICA

    United States extends AGOA through 2028

    Miami Herald: The House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a two-year extension of the country’s duty-free preferential trade program, the Haiti Economic Lift Program and Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement, known collectively as HOPE/HELP, following approval by the Senate in August.

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    Ghana’s domestic gold-refining requirement takes effect

    Reuters: Ghana’s requirement that certain artisanal gold destined for export be refined domestically took effect on September 1. The policy forms part of Ghana’s effort to retain more value from its mineral resources, strengthen oversight of the gold trade and encourage domestic processing rather than relying on exports of raw or minimally processed commodities. The move reflects a broader policy debate across resource-rich developing economies about using trade and industrial policy to promote domestic value addition.

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    OTHER MAJOR GLOBAL TRADE DEVELOPMENTS

    U.S. trade deficit widens sharply as imports rise and exports fall

    U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis/Reuters: The U.S. goods and services trade deficit widened 24.4% to US$88.6 billion in July, up US$17.4 billion from a revised US$71.2 billion in June. Imports increased 2.8% to US$399.3 billion, while exports declined 2.1% to US$310.7 billion. The goods deficit increased US$17.6 billion to US$119.6 billion, while the services surplus edged up to US$31.0 billion.

    The composition of the increase is also noteworthy. Goods imports rose by US$11.4 billion, driven particularly by a US$14.4 billion increase in capital-goods imports, including computers, computer accessories and semiconductors. Reuters noted that strong domestic demand helped fuel the increase and that the deterioration in net trade could weigh on third-quarter U.S. economic growth. The widening deficit is especially significant against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s extensive use of tariffs and its stated objective of rebalancing U.S. trade. However, despite July’s sharp monthly deterioration, the year-to-date goods and services deficit remained 29.6% below the corresponding period of 2025.

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    G20 trade debate intensifies over China and global imbalances

    Reuters: G20 finance leaders, with the exception of China, backed action against what they described as non-market policies and distortions contributing to excessive reliance on exports and global trade imbalances. The debate focused heavily on China and its large merchandise trade surplus, while Beijing countered that it does not deliberately pursue a trade surplus and remains committed to expanding domestic demand and maintaining an open economy. The discussions illustrate the extent to which trade balances, industrial subsidies and domestic economic policy have become central issues in contemporary trade diplomacy.

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    EU prepares restrictions on waste and aluminium-scrap exports

    Reuters: The European Union is preparing to propose a broad prohibition on exports of certain waste products, including aluminium scrap, to non-OECD economies. Major importing economies such as China and India could be affected. European policymakers see retaining recyclable material as a means of supporting domestic industry and decarbonisation, making the proposal another example of governments using export policy to secure strategically important inputs and promote industrial objectives.

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    Global food prices rise to highest level since 2022

    FAO/Reuters: World food prices climbed to their highest level since late 2022 in August, with the FAO Food Price Index averaging 133.3 points, up 1.9% from its revised July level. The increase was broad-based and led particularly by sugar, amid adverse weather and other supply risks affecting agricultural markets.

    For highly food-import-dependent Caribbean economies, renewed global food-price inflation is especially consequential. Sustained increases can raise import bills, intensify foreign-exchange and cost-of-living pressures, and reinforce the case for expanding competitive regional agricultural production and strengthening food supply chains.

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  • CARICOM and the African Union to deepen ties: Why this is a good idea!

    CARICOM and the African Union to deepen ties: Why this is a good idea!

    Alicia Nicholls

    Caribbean-African relations have become an exciting and refreshing trade space to watch in recent months. Over the past few weeks, two African leaders (Their Excellencies President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya) paid separate official visits to the Caribbean. Barbados’ Prime Minister, the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley also paid a state visit to Morocco in June 2019.

    It was also announced earlier this month that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) would over the next year seek to deepen and formalise cooperation with its African equivalent – the African Union (AU). This article takes a brief look at why formalization of south-south cooperation and engagement between CARICOM and the African Union is a good idea.

    CARICOM and AU have more similarities than differences

    The formal relationship between the two regions has been mainly through their participation in the Africa, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP) and the Commonwealth of Nations groupings, and not directly bilateral. But change is on the horizon. In 2012, Heads of State and Government of the African Union, the Caribbean and South America concluded the Global African Summit with a declaration which outlined a plan of action for forging political, economic and social cooperation between the AU and ‘all inter-governmental entities in regions in which African Diaspora populations are part of’, which includes CARICOM.

    As I wrote in a previous article a couple of weeks ago, there is much promise for expanding and deepening economic and political relations between Africa and the Caribbean. A boost would be, of course, formal collaboration between CARICOM and the AU.

    CARICOM is an intergovernmental organization of fifteen mostly English-speaking Caribbean States and territories founded on July 4, 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguaramas (revised in 2001). It was preceded by the Caribbean Free Trade Agreement (CARIFTA) which lasted from 1968-1973 and the West Indian Federation (1958-1962). CARICOM has a collective population of approximately 18 million. Its secretariat is based in Georgetown, Guyana. Twelve CARICOM Members are currently full members of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

    The AU is a 55-nation pan-continental, intergovernmental organization which was officially launched in July 2002. The AU has a population of just over 1 billion. Its secretariat is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The AU has launched Agenda 2063, an ambitious plan to transform the continent into a global powerhouse. There are currently eight regional economic communities considered ‘building blocks’ of the AU, and diaspora relations are also integral to the AU.

    Both CARICOM and the AU are intergovernmental organisations which encompass post-colonial States with cultural and linguistic differences, facing a myriad of challenges and varying levels of development. Both are in the process of wide-scale regional integration projects. CARICOM, for instance, is in the process of trying to consolidate its CSME. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which was signed in March 2018 and currently has 54 signatories, seeks to create a seamless pan-African economic space. The AfCFTA came into effect in May 2019 and the process has started for the Agreement’s operationalization.

    There are, of course, differences between the two regions which may impact on the policy and negotiating positions taken in multilateral fora. For example, most CARICOM countries are services-based (mainly tourism and/or financial services) economies, with the exception of Belize, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago where commodities trade is important. In the mostly resource-rich African countries, however, commodities trade is king. Most Caribbean countries are Small Island Developing States (SIDS), while those in the AU include mainly landlocked and coastal continental States. The only six AU SIDS are Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Mauritius, Sao Tome e Principe and Seychelles. Moreover, 33 of the 55-member AU are classified by the United Nations (UN) as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), while Haiti is the only LDC in CARICOM.

    Despite these differences, which should not be overlooked, I believe the prospects for CARICOM/AU collaboration and engagement are very promising. Both regions can learn from each other as they seek to deepen their integration projects. There is also scope for closer Caribbean/Africa multilateral collaboration on issues of mutual interest, such as confronting the growing threat of unilateralism and protectionism; the achievement of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets; de-risking by global banks; climate change; reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO); securing reparations, to name a few. Intra-regional cooperation prospects are also promising in many areas such as agriculture, education, the creative industries, renewable energy, medicine/health, the blue and green economies, sports, information and communications technology (ICTs), for example.

    Moreover, Barbados’ upcoming co-hosting of the UNCTAD 15 Quadrennial in October 2020 provides further prospects for collaboration on important multilateral trade and development issues. It is interesting to note that UNCTAD 14 was held in Nairobi, Kenya so there is the opportunity for Kenya to share with Barbados its experience in the successful hosting of the UNCTAD 14.

    Plans for Deepening CARICOM/AU ties  

    A press release issued by the CARICOM Secretariat noted that CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and Deputy Chair of the African Union Commission (AUC), His Excellency Kwesi Quartey, discussed the need for continued ACP solidarity in the on-going negotiations for the Post-Cotonou Agreement with the European Union (EU) and agreed to explore collaboration on multilateral areas of concern, such as climate change.

    The CARICOM press release further noted that the two leaders “took the opportunity to consider some of the areas in which their two organisations could work together including the formalisation of an institutional relationship between CARICOM and the AU to promote cooperation and to strengthen the deep bond of friendship between Africa and the Caribbean.”

    Moreover, St. Lucia Times has quoted St. Lucian Prime Minister, the Hon. Allen Chastanet, as stating that there will be a planned CARICOM and the AU Summit and the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a framework for engagement and cooperation. Prime Minister Chastanet is further quoted by this news agency as stating that “Barbados and Suriname will partner in establishing an Embassy in Ghana, while Barbados and Saint Lucia will partner in establishing an Embassy in Kenya.”

    During President Kenyatta’s visit, Barbados and Kenya have also committed to negotiating a Double Taxation Agreement and Bilateral Investment Treaty with each other, and discussed collaboration in areas such as ICTs, renewable energy, sports, the blue economy, health, education and air services. Kenya has also sought the Caribbean’s support in its bid for a seat on the UN Security Council.

    While this high-level political commitment to greater Caribbean-African engagement is needed and commendable, it is firm to firm, university to university and people to people collaboration which will transform deeper Caribbean-African relations from an aspiration to reality. An important step, therefore, will also be formalizing relations between private sector organisations, business support organizations, investment promotion agencies, universities and tourism boards in the Caribbean and Africa in order to promote Caribbean-Africa trade and investment in both traditional and emerging sectors, research and tourism. On this note, it was welcomed news that there will be commencement of engagement between the private sectors of Barbados and Kenya, as well as deeper university collaboration.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B., is an international trade and development consultant with a keen interest in sustainable development, international law and trade. You can also read more of her commentaries and follow her on Twitter @LicyLaw.

    DISCLAIMER: All views expressed herein are her personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of any institution or entity with which she may be affiliated from time to time.