FORMER Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Mr. Ramesh Dookhoo, was recently elected President of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC).During the General Assembly of the CAIC on November 1, 2013, held in Barbados, a new board was elected, headed by Dookhoo from Guyana. The other members of the board are Secretary Dave Kowlessar of Dykon Consulting Trinidad and Vancouver, Canada; Treasurer Bobbi McKay of Barbados Manufacturing Association; and Vice Presidents Nigel John, Past President CAIC and Anil Padarath of Suriname Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The CAIC represents the interests of the Caribbean private sector in various international and regional organisations, such as in CARICOM. It is the umbrella regional organisation of the private sector. The new board is elected for 2 years.
Dookhoo, who is Chairman of the Trade and Investment Committee of the PSC, in an exclusive interview yesterday with the Guyana Chronicle, said the CAIC is “a very old association”, and is one of the only broad-based regional private sector associations.
Outlining some of the work to be done, he said, “There is a dire need at this point in time to have a private sector presence at COTED (Council for Trade and Economic Development) meetings and at the level of CARICOM, and for a private sector entity to be recognised by CARICOM”.
“We recognise that we need to do something immediately to revive the CAIC; and as a result, we have had an ongoing campaign over the years, led by Dykon Consulting Company in Trinidad, to renew and increase the membership of the CAIC,” he disclosed.
The new President of CAIC said their membership consists of about ten Caribbean and CARIFORUM countries, and that Guyana has been a member of the association for a long time, through the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association and the PSC.
Representations at the CAIC have been done through those bodies over the years, he said, underscoring, “At this point in time, I represent the PSC on the CAIC board; so, therefore, the PSC of Guyana holds the Presidency of the CAIC.
The next meeting of the CAIC will be held from January 27 to 28, 2014 in neighbouring Suriname, he said, “to springboard this resuscitation effort of the Caribbean private sector”.
He said they have learnt of the establishment of an Economic Commission of the Caribbean, expressing, “It is our hope that we can also be considered for representation on that economic commission”.
Additionally, Dookhoo said they are looking at boosting the finances of the CAIC as they move ahead.
The association’s vision is the creation of a Caribbean Private Sector that is internationally competitive and cohesive in its approach to dealing with opportunities and challenges.
CAIC started in 1955 as a private sector mission of the West Indian Incorporated Chambers of Commerce; and in 1970, it was named the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce.
Today, CAIC is an umbrella organisation for private sector representative bodies. It is a supporting voice at the regional level for national representative bodies and seeks to impact upon the development, growth and competitive positioning of the Caribbean business environment through partnership activities.
Written By Priya Ali