CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – The St Lucia-based Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission says it has formalised a strategic partnership  with the Eastern Caribbean Robotics and Innovation Association (EC-RIA).

It said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by OECS Director General Dr Didacus Jules and EC-RIA chairman and founder Dr Ricardo Neil, in St Kitts and Nevis marking “an important step toward advancing innovation, digital transformation, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, entrepreneurship, youth empowerment, and institutional capacity development across the OECS region.

“Through this MoU, the OECS and EC-RIA will work together to support innovation as a key enabler of economic transformation, while also creating more equitable access to opportunity for youth, women, underserved communities, and other groups across the region.”

The Commission said that the signing brings together two organisations with complementary mandates and a common vision for future-ready development. The OECS continues to promote regional integration, functional cooperation, and sustainable development among its member states, while EC-RIA has been advancing innovation, robotics, coding, entrepreneurship, and STEAM education across the Eastern Caribbean.

“While the MoU is non-binding, it reflects a strong mutual commitment to cooperate in good faith and to pursue activities that advance innovation within the OECS region. It also creates a platform for future collaboration on specific projects and initiatives that support the transformation of OECS economies through innovation, creativity, technology, and human capital development,” the Commission said.

“The signing of this MoU signals a forward-looking commitment by both organisations to deepen collaboration in support of a stronger culture of innovation in the Eastern Caribbean and to help shape a region that is more connected, competitive, inclusive, and prepared for the opportunities of the future,” it added.

The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin islands.