Brussels, October 25 - Milan Jezic von Gesseneck, Leader of EU OCTA-Innovation is visi tingTurks and Caicos Islands October 24th- October 28th to assist the government with the identification of opportunities and measures to be developed to propel innovation.
Innovation Manager of Turks and Caicos, Alexa Cooper-Grant and Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Shonia Been are at the centre of innovation initiatives on the islands to bring about economic diversification and improve their regional and global competitiveness.
Mr. Jezic von Gesseneck is holding working sessions and technical meetings to exchange views with economic actors, government institutions and businesspeople. Tourism, agriculture, the environmental sectors – the green and blue economies, education and the creative industries – all have particular innovation potential.
Meetings have been scheduled for the visit of Mr. Jezic von Gesseneck with Premier Dr. Hon. Rufus Ewing, Minister of Finance Hon. C. Washington Missick, other members of government, Wilhemina Kissoonsingh, Director of Agriculture, Dr. John Claydon, Director of the Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources and Representatives of the Young Corporate Alliance (YCA). On North Caicos, Mr Jezic von Gesseneck will visit a government farm and local herbal tea manufacturer, the Caicos Tea Company.
Altogether, 20 OCTs benefit from OCTA-Innovation, the Brussels-based EU-funded proje ctthat is furthering innovation in the OCTs through innovation strategies, technical assistance, pilot projects and by signalling EU funding opportunities.
In a speech in summer 2016, Premier of Turks and Caicos Islands, Dr. Rufus Ewing called for OCTs to be more innovative; implementing new technologies and co-financing projects. He underlined the importance of cooperation and regular meetings between OCTs to encourage inter-dependencies such as in the area of food security and the environment.
