International Development Grant

Partnership for CARICOM Private Sector Development

Project Number: CA-3-A034045001

Status: Closed

Country/Region:

Grenada 9.68%
Saint Lucia 9.32%
Belize 10.66%
Dominica 9.68%
Guyana 10.66%
Jamaica 9.99%
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines 9.32%
Saint Kitts and Nevis 10.02%
Suriname 10.66%
Antigua and Barbuda 10.01%

Maximum Contribution: $19,950,000.00

Start Date: July 16, 2008

End Date: March 30, 2018

Duration: 9.7 years

Project Description

This project addresses challenges facing the private sector in the member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) mainly by means of technical assistance. The technical assistance focuses on three areas: (1) Catalyzing private sector participation and investment in transport power water and communications infrastructure. This includes output-based aid initiatives that subsidize the cost of extending infrastructure to disadvantaged areas dependent upon positive results and projected sustainability of the new infrastructure. (2) Enabling financial institutions to increase the number of loans they provide to underserved micro small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) which typically do not have sufficient collateral to qualify for such loans. (3) Promoting regulatory simplification as an aid to private sector development. The project is implemented by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) the private sector arm of the World Bank Group.

Expected Results

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased private sector participation in economic development for the Caribbean region; and (2) improved solutions to overcome economic development challenges for the CARICOM region.

Progress & Results Achieved

Results achieved as of March 2016 include: (1) provided 21 advisory services with financial institutions that have disbursed over 150 000 small and medium enterprise loans (worth US$3.7B); (2) supported capacity building efforts on public-private partnerships across the region in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); (3) operationalized four new Credit Bureaus in the Caribbean (Guyana and Jamaica); and (4) achieved some significant Doing Business-related reforms in Grenada Dominica St. Lucia St. Kitts and Nevis. These results have contributed to increasing access to financial services and infrastructure transactions as well as improving the investment climate in the region.

Key Information

Executing Agency:
IBRD Trust Funds - World Bank

Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada

Program:
NGM Americas

Last Modified:
September 19, 2025

Development Classifications

DAC Sector:

Public sector policy and administrative management 10%
Formal sector financial intermediaries 20%
Business support services and institutions 50%
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development 20%

Aid Type: Contributions to specific-purpose programmes and funds managed by implementing partners

Collaboration: Bilateral

Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation

Selection Mechanism:
Pre-APP

Policy Markers
Level 1 Participatory development and good governance
Major Funding (>$1M)
Budget Breakdown
2008-04-01 to 2009-03-31 $19,950,000 CAD
Geographic Information
000
Project Number: CA-3-A034045001