By Zoila Palma: Entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean gathered in Belize this week for the U.S. State Department’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Regional Forum, aimed at fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and business growth.
The event brought together alumni from Belize, Jamaica, St. Lucia and other Caribbean nations to exchange ideas and discuss strategies for expanding their businesses.
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Katharine Beamer said the forum allows participants to strengthen networks and apply lessons learned during their exchanges in the United States.
“This is part of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative which has existed for many years. And so what we are doing today and yesterday is bringing together alumni of this program from across the Caribbean to get together and continue to build their network and grow their businesses and acumen,” Beamer said.
Beamer added that the United States views exchange program alumni as a long-term investment in future leaders and entrepreneurs. “All of our exchange programs are focused on developing promising young leaders in countries and building sort of long term relationships with them so the United States considers you know our alumni to be a long term investment in the future of those people and that country,” she explained.
Among the participants was Belizean fashion designer Ronelli Requena of Zayvha Sarai and during an interview with 7News Belize, she described the gathering as a valuable opportunity to connect with fellow Caribbean entrepreneurs. “I love it because it is so warm it is all the Caribbean entrepreneurs and we are working together and finding ways on how we can collaborate with each other and kind of make the Caribbean region reachable and helping our businesses, but more over how we can help each other expand,” she said.
Antigua and Barbuda entrepreneur Elijah James, founder and CEO of The Local App, said the experience gave him practical knowledge he was able to implement at home. “It has helped me to not only scale my business but replicate a lot of that stuff back home in Antigua and Barbuda that has helped me to not only scale my business because we are at the point now where we are looking to expand and actually launch a Caribbean market place that will be able to help promote businesses around the region and their products and businesses as well,” James said.
The forum also featured a roundtable discussion as CDA Beamer joined business leaders Sr. HR Manager at American Sugar Refining Nikita Usher, CEO of Bowen & Bowen Michael Bowen, BELTRAIDE Executive Director Ishmael Quiroz, and President of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) Efren Perez, for a dynamic exchange on driving business growth and regional collaboration.
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By Zoila Palma: Entrepreneurs from across the Caribbean gathered in Belize this week for the U.S. State Department’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Regional Forum, aimed at fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and business growth. The event brought together alumni from Belize, Jamaica, St. Lucia and other Caribbean nations to exchange ideas and discuss strategies
The post YLAI Regional forum brings Caribbean entrepreneurs together in Belize appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.