As a Social Science student at the Mona Campus of the University West Indies in Jamaica, Lacey-Ann participated in the student mission to Grenada from August 31 – September 6 2009 under the Students Engaging the CSME through Field Promotion Project which was developed and implemented by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and executed with assistance of the European Union under the 9th European Development Fund.

That was Lacey-Ann’s first visit to Grenada and it opened her eyes to the world of regional trade because prior to this she said, “I did not know that the region was so advanced in trade”.

On the mission, she learned a great deal from the Grenadian trade officers and other personnel about the provisions of the CARICOM Single Market (CSM). Lacey-Ann was impressed with the officers’ wealth of knowledge and she was enlightened on the ease of doing business within the CSM. For example, she was exposed to the processes for gaining a Certificate of Origin which is a key step for a CARICOM manufacturing enterprise to export within the CARICOM.

The sessions dispelled many myths about the CSM and doing business in the region generally.