As the novel coronavirus pandemic rages on, there is an increasing view that the creative industries can be an engine for economic growth and a mechanism for diversifying economies and improving global competitiveness.

The creative economy, also known as the orange economy, includes all sectors whose goods and services are based on the creation of intellectual property, such as design and visual arts, tourism and cultural heritage, new media and software, performing arts, music, and literary arts and publications.

To become the pillar for economic diversification in the Caribbean, there is a greater need to understand the trajectory of the orange economy and to identify the ways that micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) can benefit from the development.

Additionally, the sector is comparatively labour intensive and can, therefore, help to alleviate the chronic unemployment problem in the Caribbean.

According to the executive director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency Deodat Maharaj, there is a great urgency amid the pandemic to hone in on non-tourism-related sectors.

“Two things the pandemic has done… It has exposed vulnerabilities and our pre-existing weaknesses — being heavily indebted and climate vulnerable. But what it has done on the positive side is that it has taken us into a new business world,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Caribbean Export Development Agency is the trade and investment agency for Cariforum, which consist the Caricom countries and the Dominica Republic.

It is tasked with facilitating and promoting Caribbean trade and steering foreign direct investments to the region.

“…That’s why we believe now it’s a unique opportunity for us in the Caribbean to press that reset development what right where business can play a more important and a leadership role in generating jobs and opportunities for people,” he continued.

According to him, over 50 per cent of the region’s gross domestic product and at least 60 per cent of total employment is generated by MSMEs.

“So if you want to fast track recovery from COVID-19, and you want to build a resilient Jamaica, and a resilient Caribbean, you have to focus on the sector that can generate the maximum amount of jobs in the quickest possible time,” Maharaj said.

He indicated that the business of music, fashion, culture, which can be further facilitated by information and communications technology, are areas where the Caribbean region can capitalise on the creativity and skills of its people for high paying jobs.

He told the Business Observer that the agency assists service providers with preparing export plans, and hosts trade fairs to facilitate networking with potential buyers.

“Brand Caribbean, including Caribbean music, culture and creativity would sell and that is why on the services side, we work regionally with service providers and connect them to partners who facilitate brokering,” he argued.

According to the World Bank, between 2002 and 2015, the size of the international market for creative goods doubled to US$509 billion. Data from the Inter-American Bank also indicated that in 2015, the orange economy in Latin America and the Caribbean sustained a number of jobs comparable to that generated by the entire economy of Costa Rica or Uruguay.

However, Maharaj noted that there are several challenges that creatives face when seeking to export. This includes access to finance and lack of support.

As a response, the agency launched the Business of Music (BOM) Programme to develop the regional music industry with a focus on building capacity of music business practitioner such as recording or performing artist, songwriter, music producer or music business representative.

The online programme provides a foundation of understanding that will enable preparation for entry into the international music markets. It addresses use of digital platforms, intellectual property, distribution and promotion, gathering market intelligence, and identifying and assessing development partners.

“[We trained] Belizean artists and musicians and for the first time ever, we have indigenous musicians from Belize. Have you ever heard an indigenous person from Belize perform an indigenous Belizean instrument? Think about how you could capture the imagination of a market in Europe,” he contended.

The executive director further told the Business Observer that before the onset of the pandemic, the agency worked closely with designers in the fashion industry, who were able to benefit from funding from the European Union.

In addition, the agency has collaborated with the Latin American Association of Services Exporters (ALES), an international organisation consisting of 30 public and private institutions from 17 countries. The objective of the organisation is to promote Latin America and the Caribbean as a knowledge exporter region and outsourcing destination.

What’s more, the Caribbean Export’s Services Go Global programme has been developed to optimise Cariforum’s service exports through capacity building and linking service providers to opportunities under the Economic Partnership Agreement, Caricom Single Market, and other existing third-party trade agreements.

“We as Caribbean people cannot be under any illusion that [exporting] is easy and that you could just export everything. It’s about identifying a premium product, getting requirements and linking it to a premium market…once you do that, you will get a premium price,” he stressed.

He said too, “It’s more about the exclusivity and the premium nature of the product than anything else because we cannot mass produce like China and other places”.

“We need to create jobs for people so they can take care of themselves and their families. And who’s going to create the jobs if government is in debt, the region is climate vulnerable and there’s no fiscal space? It’s not rocket science…It has to be the [MSMEs] as they’re the only part of the equation that can absorb more jobs,” Maharaj asserted.