BRIDGETOWN CLOSING OUT OF FY 2008 BFIF PROGRAMS

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000039

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR, EB/CBA, AND EB/EX

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG EAGR ETRO EAID EPET EINV BB
SUBJECT: BRIDGETOWN CLOSING OUT OF FY 2008 BFIF PROGRAMS

REF: A. 08 STATE 73258

B. 08 BRIDGETOWN 11

C. 08 STATE 34606

D. 08 STATE 95

E. 08 BRIDGETOWN 625

F. 08 BRIDGETOWN 139

G. 08 BRIDGETOWN 141


1. Summary: Post conducted an ambitious business outreach
program in FY 08 and BFIF funding was essential to carrying
out our agenda. At the conclusion of each trip post drafted
reporting cables. This is the fiscal accounting cable
requested in reftel. Reftels contains most of our BFIF
reporting and our reporting on the BFIF funded trips. We
will provide our 2009 BFIF proposal septel. End Summary


2. Post requested US $26,000 to make one commercial outreach
trip to each of our countries. Embassy Bridgetown is
responsible for five countries of the OECS (Antigua,
Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and St. Vincent) as well as
Barbados, and we provide some commercial support to Embassy
Grenada. We spent our FY 2008 BFIF funding on commercial
outreach trips to St. Kitts, St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
attendance at the Miami Conference on the Caribbean, and on
training trips to Santo Domingo and Washington, D.C. We
ultimately made BFIF-funded commercial outreach trips at a
cost of USD $13,000 to St. Kitts and St. Vincent only. Post
officers also made several other commercial outreach trips
but without BFIF funding.


3. Our Commercial Officer attended the Miami Conference to
represent post. There he met with many regional leaders and
held useful discussions on setting up American Chambers
within the region. He then went to DC for consultations with
EB and with the U.S. Chamber regarding setting up AmChams.
He subsequently set up an AmCham in Barbados and St Lucia.
The St. Lucia AmCham is quite active, but the Barbados AmCham
still needs some organizational work.


St. Kitts and Nevis (US $3,027)


4. Commercial Officer, Pol Officer and Commercial Assistant
spent a week in St. Kitts and Nevis meeting with local
business leaders, and government officials involved in
international trade and promotion. They also hosted the
first-ever USG reception for the U.S. business community both
in St. Kitts and in Nevis.

Dominican Republic (US $2,569)


5. Commercial Officer and Commercial Assistant spent four
days in DR meeting with FCS, attending a regional trade show,
and consultations with EB, OPIC and FSC.

St Vincent and The Grenadines (US $3,054)


6. Commercial Officer, Pol Officer and Commercial Assistant
spent a week in St. Vincent and the Grenadines meeting with
local business leaders and government officials involved in
international trade and promotion. They also hosted the
first-ever USG reception for the U.S. business community in
St. Vincent. They met with U.S. businesses in Bequia and
Canouan islands. The Canouan visit was the first official
reporting trip to that part of the Grenadines in several
years, despite significant tourism-driven economic
development in these islands in recent years. Post met with
the U.S.-owned Canouan Island development corporation and
received an in-depth briefing on their development plans for
the southern Grenadines.

Training in DC


7. Commercial Officer attended PC 526, the Commercial
Tradecraft course. He followed up on the course by inviting
several of the speakers to make presentations at our
commercial workshops. Post had requested funding to support
our commercial workshop, but was unable to obtain it due to
end of the FY funding shortfalls.


8. Comment: Post appreciated the support given by EB/CBA and
looks forward to receiving additional BFIF funds to support
our ambitious commercial outreach program in FY 2009.
HARDT