Speaking at CIIF’s Creative Talk panel, “Collect, Analyse, Activate! Leveraging National Creative Economy Data,” which opened a high-impact symposium entitled “Banking on Culture: Data, Policy and Finance,” CIIF fund coordinator, Malene Joseph, highlighted the sector’s untapped potential, noting that many areas—such as intellectual property and international export—remain under-optimised. She also pointed to Jamaica’s innovative use of its cultural registry to support a group insurance scheme for creatives, developed in partnership with Guardian Group, as a model for public-private collaboration.
The event brought together regional ministers, cultural policymakers, creatives, and private sector leaders to explore how national cultural registries, evidence-based policymaking, and financial tools can unlock the economic potential of the Caribbean’s Cultural and Creative Industries.”The Jamaican model clearly demonstrates to us at CDB how we can create an enabling environment for the Creative Economy through standardisation, evaluation, and implementation of support mechanisms at the national level,” Joseph added. To capitalise on this and other data-driven opportunities, the bank will be contributing over USD 200,000 to strengthen regional cultural registries in upcoming projects.
Panelists from Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Guardian Group shared examples of how national cultural registry data is being used to support targeted programmes, improve policy design, and foster resilience in the creative sector. They also discussed challenges such as data harmonisation across ministries and the need for greater trust and participation from creatives in data collection efforts.
CIIF fund coordinator Malene Joseph emphasised the importance of transforming data into actionable insights. “We’re not asking for data for data’s sake. The impact lies in how that data is analysed and mobilised toward real actions.” Orlando Romain, advisor, ministry of planning and economic development, Grenada affirmed the utility of a data-driven creative economy. “When we speak about the creative economy and data we’re speaking about visibility and that is one of the areas that has long been a challenge for the creative sector…. There is not sufficient data in most countries on the creative sector. It’s imperative for any country who is serious about developing the creative sector to first and foremost start to collect data and leverage data to make better decisions.”
The symposium reinforced that national data intelligence practices, such as cultural registries, are essential tools for enabling public-private partnerships and delivering tangible benefits to creative practitioners. Data optimisation is key to improving the social and economic status of artists through informed policy, programming, and investment.
Other speakers at the event included Andre Hoyte, senior business development officer, National Cultural Foundation, Barbados, Gillian Wilkinson McDaniel, principal director of entertainment policy development and monitoring ministry of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, Jamaica, Daniella Carrington, cultural officer III (Ag.), culture division, ministry of culture and community development, Trinidad and Tobago and Anderson Bisnath, vice president, insurance operations, Guardian Life of the Caribbean.
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