Pride News Canada's Leader In African Canadian & Caribbean News, Views & Lifestyle
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Apr. 5, (CMC) – The St. Lucia-based Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the St. Kitts-based Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) are moving towards strengthening their working relationship.
An OECS statement said, today, that the Director-General, Dr. Didacus Jules, and ECCB Governor, Timothy N. J. Antoine, met recently “to discuss strengthening the working relationship between the two regional institutions”.
ECCB and OECS officials seen discussing, by video-conferencing, closer relations. Photo credit: OECS.
“The aim of the discussions was to identify priority areas for collaboration, in pursuit of the implementation of the Single Economic and Financial Space, as mandated in the Revised Treaty of Basseterre and, in particular, addressing growth, competitiveness and employment in the OECS, a strategic priority of the new vision for the ECCB, the statement added.
The statement quoted both senior officials, as agreeing to “jointly advance the Single Economic and Financial Space, which would allow for the free movement of goods and services, people, capital and ideas throughout the sub-region”.
It further stated that, among the priority areas identified for collaboration, were the development and implementation of the OECS Development Strategy; improving the business and investment climate; private sector development and support for the OECS Business Council; implementing the strategic plan for the development of statistics; and undertaking joint research with regional and international institutions.
“The ECCB and the OECS Commission remain committed to strengthening the mechanisms for collaboration and agree to establish focal points and a framework for accountability within each institution to facilitate their partnership, the statement noted.
The ECCB serves as a central bank for the OECS island-states — Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat and Anguilla.
