As persistent global trade fragmentation continues to reshape international commerce, industry leaders and economic experts gathered at a Central Bank of Barbados seminar have issued a urgent call for Caribbean governments to update outdated infrastructure and operational frameworks to protect regional economic stability. The consensus from the keynote panel discussion focused on navigating fractured global markets, that years of inaction on core border and trade reforms have left the region unnecessarily exposed to external shocks, while holding back the growth of intra-regional commerce.
Ryan Forde, chief executive of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, opened the discussion by outlining the most pressing structural flaws holding the region back. Outdated border regulations, slow and cumbersome customs procedures, and fragmented data systems that lock critical information in silos, he argued, are actively stifling trade between Caribbean nations and weakening the resilience of domestic economies. Forde emphasized that the region has fallen far behind on the essential work of modernizing border and trade operations, forcing local businesses to rely on tools and processes that belong to a previous generation.
One of the most critical gaps Forde identified is the lack of real-time data collection and sharing across key regional industries, from agriculture and manufacturing to the vital tourism and hospitality sector. Without access to up-to-date market and arrival data, businesses and policymakers cannot make informed strategic decisions, and operational costs are driven up unnecessarily. “The stronger that we make those prerequisites of data collection and sharing, then we can make it more profitable to be using more locally here,” Forde explained, noting that competing regional destinations have already integrated real-time data into policy development and targeted marketing campaigns. “If we have our competitors, some islands that are smaller using data more efficiently than we are, then we are still stuck in the 1990s.”
Beyond data gaps, Forde called out widespread inefficiencies at regional entry ports and exorbitantly high inter-island travel costs as self-imposed barriers that block inclusive economic expansion. He urged regional political leaders to set aside partisan finger-pointing and tackle these shared challenges head-on. High transport and travel fees, he noted, discourage both international tourists and local residents from exploring multi-destination trips across the Caribbean, while inconsistent administrative processes at border crossings create unnecessary friction for cross-border commerce.
Shardae Boyce, executive director of the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association, echoed Forde’s concerns, adding that local manufacturing producers already face mounting headwinds from fragmented regional supply chains and skyrocketing input costs. To adapt to this challenging landscape, Boyce explained that local manufacturers are beginning to collaborate by pooling their collective purchasing power to offset global price increases. “Inputs supply becomes a challenge in a trade-fragmented environment, and we are seeing conversations happening in terms of how manufacturers can now consolidate inputs,” Boyce said. “When you buy in bulk, you have the opportunity to bring down the cost of the product, which will have a positive impact on consumers.”
Speaking from the perspective of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), lead trade specialist Krista Lucenti warned that the disruptions roiling global markets today are not the temporary blips many regional leaders have hoped for. Instead, they represent permanent structural shifts that emerged from decades of rapid trade liberalization and the rise of highly concentrated global supply networks. Lucenti urged Caribbean governments to address long-standing internal inefficiencies rather than waiting for external global markets to return to pre-disruption stability.
Lucenti pointed to a host of systemic issues holding the region back, from persistent border inefficiencies and excessive port fees to underdeveloped sanitary and phytosanitary standards that block the Caribbean from expanding food exports. She called on regional authorities to tackle costly non-tariff barriers and update outdated port governance models, noting that modern, service-focused special economic zones could help smaller Caribbean territories overcome their inherent limitations of geographic scale. A core problem, she explained, is the persistent lack of cross-agency coordination between overlapping border agencies, including customs, health, and agricultural inspection teams, leaving most regional ports operating under obsolete governance frameworks.
“In this region there are significant border inefficiencies. Many of our ports are still tool ports; they are not landlord models. The port governance is still from another era,” Lucenti warned. She closed by urging regional governments to make the politically difficult but economically essential decisions that will secure long-term growth and stability for Caribbean nations.