Castries
The Credit Risk Abatement Facility (CRAF), implemented by the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), has launched its first Product Identification Forum (PIF) in Saint Lucia, marking a pivotal step in the country’s clean energy transformation and private sector engagement strategy.
Held in collaboration with national stakeholders, the PIF serves as a targeted market engagement platform that connects financiers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), energy service providers (ESPs), and policy actors. Its goal is to identify viable renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) project opportunities suitable for CRAF’s Technical Assistance Programme and Credit Risk Instrument (CRI).
Participants included representatives from key sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, agro-processing, and construction, along with commercial banks, credit unions, and regional development agencies. The forum featured technical briefings on CRAF’s support instruments, discussions on investment readiness, and case examples of projects successfully developed through CRAF’s assistance in other CARICOM Member States.
It’s a foundational part of our strategy to build a pipeline of RE/EE projects in Saint Lucia that are technically feasible, financially viable, and aligned with national energy goals.”
Through the PIF, CRAF aims to:
- Raise awareness of the available tools to de-risk green investments;
- Support SMEs in understanding how to access technical assistance for audits and feasibility;
- Enable financiers to identify credible project opportunities; and
- Catalyze partnerships between project developers and service providers.
This activity is aligned with CRAF’s commitment to fostering sustainable energy markets across CARICOM. The output of the forum will guide the selection of participants for technical assistance, particularly those with projects ready for deeper development work, such as energy audits, solar system sizing, and financing preparation.
Saint Lucia’s PIF represents a concrete move toward mobilizing capital for RE/EE investments in the private sector, and reflects the country’s ongoing efforts to achieve greater energy resilience and sustainability.
