THE Caribbean Export Development Agency and the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) have agreed on a framework to cooperate on growing businesses through sustainable energy.

The two organisations have signed a cooperation agreement to officiate their relationship given their symbiotic mandates.

“Caribbean Export is excited to be working with CCREEE to tackle the immense challenges which our region must confront — firstly, global climate change; second, building sustainable and affordable energy systems and third, poverty reduction through private sector development,” said Deodat Maharaj, executive director of Caribbean Export.

Maharaj highlighted that according to the International Labour Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank, it is estimated that decarbonisation will lead to the net increase of jobs in the Caribbean by 3.1 per cent, that is, the creation of approximately 400,000 jobs.

Echoing Maharaj’s sentiments, Dr Gary Jackson, executive director of the CCREEE, stated, “Energy is one of the most pressing development challenges of our time; a challenge that is best addressed, especially within the Caribbean context, through cooperation. We are resilient collectively, not separately,” he said. Dr Jackson further noted “it is our human capacity which defines our resilience. As we cement our partnership today, our hope is that the CCREEE and Caribbean Export can adequately set an example of what can be accomplished with the coalition of the willing.”

The agreement outlines areas of cooperation including technical assistance projects to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy capacity building for the private sector. These initiatives will assist businesses to enhance their climate resilience, increase energy access, develop sustainable buildings and promises to ensure knowledge management and transfer, promote sustainable industry and business growth. Together the organisations are supporting businesses capacity to provide a suite of renewable energy and energy efficient products and services.

In addition, Caribbean Export and the CCREEE highlighted that the signing is merely a formalisation of the already functional partnership. The two organisations have partnered previously on the development of capacity building initiatives and eagerly anticipate enhancing and increasing these and, supporting small and medium-sized businesses, with three projects having already been identified.