On Monday this week, public sector representatives from Anguilla, including two participants from Montserrat, began a one-week workshop on Negotiation Techniques for Sources of Finance.
The workshop attendees included Permanent Secretaries, legal counsel, senior officers in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, other ministry personnel, members of the National Debt Advisory Committee, staff from the Debt Management Unit and from statutory agencies.
The training, at the Teachers Resource Centre in Anguilla, was hosted by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) through the Canada-Eastern Caribbean Debt Management Advisory Service Project. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the Government of Anguilla and facilitated by Crown Agents.
The facilitators were Mr John Corkil and Ms Yvonne Quansah, Consultants with the Crown Agents.
The main objectives of the workshop were capacity-building and to promote – among the participants – an understanding of the negotiation process as well as practical considerations for a successful negotiation outcome. The training was aimed at covering negotiation theory and practice relating to various sources of finance including loan guarantee and public-private partnerships.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr John Venner, Adviser in the Statistic Department of the ECCB, said the workshop was aimed at developing an action plan for debt management to be presented at the conclusion of the event on Friday – was aimed at strengthening the ability of member states to manage their debt portfolios.
He said this week’s workshop in Anguilla was the fifth in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union and that it will be followed next week by a workshop in Antigua and Barbuda.
Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in Anguilla, Dr Wycliffe Fahie, expressed appreciation to the Government of Canada for its investment in the Caribbean region in the area of debt management. He also complimented the Steering Committee of the Canada-Eastern Caribbean Debt Management Advisory Service Project for taking ownership of the project and for its dedication to the same.
Dr Fahie added: “This dedication is exemplified by the fact that, having completed part one of the project by convening a regional workshop on Loan Evaluation in 2012, the Committee is now proceeding with part two ‘in Country’ training on Negotiation Techniques for Sources of Finance.”
Mr John Corkil, Senior Consultant, Crown Agents, remarked that the Caribbean islands had been adversely impacted by the global financial crisis, thus necessitating the workshop.
