BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — President of the Caribbean Manufacturers Association (CMA), Ramsay Ali, says regional manufacturers’ associations are working on medium to long-term growth strategies to increase the sector’s contribution to economic growth by up to 30 per cent.
The CMA, which comprises Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia and Dominica, says it anticipates a sizeable increase in jobs once the sector expands exports to regional and international markets.
“A realistic medium-term goal is to grow this contribution to five to 10 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), and in the longer term, through sustained policy support and diversification efforts, to achieve 10-20 per cent of GDP,” said Ali, the immediate past president of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).
“Guyana’s manufacturing companies are positioning themselves to scale up and supply critical inputs to the country’s expanding infrastructure, housing and logistics sectors. This creates new opportunities for both local and foreign investors to partner in building out the industrial supply chain that supports national development,” said Ali, the chief executive officer of Sterling Products.
He is one of six presidents of regional manufacturers’ associations whose views were included in the “Manufacturing Sector Report” in the 2025 edition of Caribbean Business & Travel, which identifies investment opportunities in manufacturing in each of the CMA member countries.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA), Dale Parson, said the association has outlined a bold, multipronged strategy to grow Trinidad and Tobago’s non-energy exports from TT$6.2 billion to TT$10.6 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) by 2030.
“The TTMA believes that ideally, the manufacturing sector would aim for 25-30 per cent GDP contribution in the medium term, especially with continued government incentives and regional trade expansion.”
President of the Barbados Manufacturers Association (BMA), Rakeesh Bernard, said the association wants to see the sector increase its contribution to the country’s GDP from close to six per cent to between seven to 15 per cent.
“This can be done by increasing the agro-processing aspect, improving value-added food and beverage manufacturing, as well as cosmetics, and advancing export diversification by engaging and expanding into new markets, and adopting digital trade and technological platforms,” said Bernard.
Immediate past president of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), Sydney Thwaites, said investment opportunities in Jamaica’s manufacturing sector continues to grow, particularly in areas that support import substitution for items such as basic food products, packaging materials, cleaning agents and household products.
All of the Caribbean manufacturer associations identified increasing trade missions and exploring regional and non-traditional markets, such as Panama, Colombia and Costa Rica, as a key strategy to drive exports.
“The three recent Jamaican trade missions to Georgetown were far from symbolic,” said Thwaites. “The results have been both immediate and promising. Several Jamaican firms have already secured contracts, particularly in the construction and technology sectors, where Guyana’s infrastructure boom is generating strong demand for materials and services.”
President of the St Lucia Manufacturers’ Association (SLMA), Marguerite Desir, wants to see the manufacturing sector increase its contribution to GDP from six per cent currently to 10 per cent.
The Dominica Manufacturers Association President, John Robin, said his association is drawing on the extensive experience of Trinidadian manufacturers in its drive to significantly increase production, including for bottled water, condiments, furniture and craft items.