Dominica selected as pilot for Commonwealth Small States Trade Finance Facility

Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland (center) signs the scheme in London this week

Dominica is among a number of Commonwealth countries selected as a pilot for a special scheme that will allow small island states to obtain easier access to international trade finance.

The Commonwealth Small States Trade Finance Facility was launched this week at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.

According to the Commonwealth Secretariat, India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Malta have provided $5 million of capital to the scheme. Standard Chartered Bank and the Bank of Baroda are the facility managers.

The Commonwealth Secretariat acts as a guarantor on loans secured to develop trade and sustain economic and social development.

“This guarantee could release $100-million of incremental trade finance over a three-year period to any of the 31 Commonwealth nations classified as small states,” the Commonwealth Secretariat said in a statement.

The Commonwealth’s Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, described the scheme as ‘innovative.’

“This new scheme is an example of the innovative and collaborative approaches that are pioneered by the Commonwealth; they have a hugely positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people in our smaller and more vulnerable member countries,” she said.  “Without such a scheme, small states find it difficult to access the funds they need to diversify their economies and build inclusive prosperity by expanding trade. This impairs their ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The trade finance facility has taken five years to develop by a working group including the International Finance Corporation, Government of Malta, Central Bank of Malta, Export Import Bank of India and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

“This working group developed a mechanism, in the form of a guarantee facility, that will encourage international banks to offer higher trade finance lines to financial institutions in the small states by reducing their credit risk,” the Secretariat said. “The concept is based on a highly innovative use of blended finance that seeks to achieve maximum impact with minimal levels of official assistance. The facility is hosted and administered by Malta.”

The scheme will be launched in the spring and the Bahamas, Botswana, Brunei, Dominica, Fiji, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles, have been selected as pilot countries.

 

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6 Comments

  1. KID ON THE STREET
    April 30, 2018

    I hope the Negative people on here will really do something worthwhile to develop their country rather than to tear it down minding other peoples business. Keep on chatting while all you business stay still. Elevate yourselves and your thinking, embark on projects. The country is getting no where with you all nEGATIVE MINDSET.

  2. Anything Patrica is involved with must be corrupt, (Dominica doh have anything to ship and sell) so she is forcing that crap on Dominica only for Roosevelt that Dr. Punjab to have something lie about eh!

    The question is if it is a pilot, and we have nothing to sell or trade what shall be the benefits to our people?

  3. Me
    April 19, 2018

    I hope our pilot knows how to fly, I am praying.

  4. Not A Herd Follower
    April 19, 2018

    Without production, I do not see Dominica benefiting from this trade finance facility.

    • derp
      April 19, 2018

      what you talking about *passports* # production :lol:

      • April 20, 2018

        We need to build a state of de art passortfactry :-D :-D :-D

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