BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Barbados is intensifying efforts to expand its productive economy as Export Barbados encourages local entrepreneurs to move beyond small-scale business activity and toward industrial production.

Export Barbados CEO Mark Hill outlined the initiative while announcing a US$5,000 contribution toward the UWI International Undergraduate Students’ Leadership Conference and Entrepreneurship Exhibition in Jamaica, scheduled for September 23–25.

Hill said the organisation wants entrepreneurs to recognise opportunities to become industrial producers, helping Barbados and the wider Caribbean develop stronger productive capacity.

A key part of the strategy is the International Food Science Centre, developed by Export Barbados. The organisation sees the centre as a potential platform for deeper collaboration between businesses, industry and the university sector.

The approach places greater emphasis on manufacturing, innovation, food science and value-added production, areas that could create new opportunities for Barbadian companies seeking to expand beyond traditional markets.

Export Barbados’ latest initiative also highlights the role of entrepreneurship programmes in connecting emerging business leaders with industrial development opportunities.