Vincentians In The UK Pleased With Invest SVG Outreach Programme
Having returned from the United Kingdom last week, Invest SVG and its partners have been receiving nothing but great feedback from the Vincentian Diaspora who attended their inaugural Outreach and Investment programme on April 5th. “It was truly a great experience to learn about the investment opportunities available to us here in the U.K,” said Vincentian attendee Ann-Marie Brooks in a short post-event interview. “We want to invest in SVG.”
With over one hundred and twenty (120) registrants and attendees, the first event of the series was nothing short of a success. On the delegation were members of Invest SVG, the Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit (RIDU), the Bank of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, National Properties Limited, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, as well as the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Camillo Gonsalves, who served as the conference’s keynote speaker.
The event, made possible through collaboration with the SVG High Commission in London, was held at the Holiday Inn Brentford Lock hotel and executed as a presentation-based forum where representatives from each organization briefed attendees about their offerings and potential opportunities. After robust and extremely informative presentations were completed, the floor was opened for members of the diaspora to ask questions and hear directly from key figures at the event.
This preceded a social mixer where mingling and further, more intimate discussions were facilitated among the delegation and all persons present.
Topics such as lands for sale throughout SVG, investment in the blue economy, concessions available to returning nationals and even banking solutions at home were all talking points throughout the informative session. “Local investment is so important towards the development of our small island nation,” said Invest SVG’s Executive Director Glen Beache throughout his discourse. This statement was extremely timely, as a focus on Vincentian-owned investments was a highlight of the evening’s proceedings.
Further strengthening and complementing the efforts put forward by Invest SVG, an announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs broke news that approval was granted for the SVG High Commission in the UK to provide notarial services for investment related documents, completely free of charge. “This service is available to individuals and businesses requiring the notarization of documents that are related to investments,” declared Permanent Secretary Sandy Peters-Phillips. “Providing notarial services to Vincentians in the Diaspora is crucial for facilitating seamless business transactions, protecting legal rights and enhancing the investor’s confidence.” This strategic move, in addition to Invest SVG’s outreach efforts, point to an evolving and ever-improving investment climate for Vincentians.
Towards the end of Invest SVG’s mission in the United Kingdom, the delegation was also able to participate in the “UK – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trade
- Investment Forum”. The first of its kind for our country, this ground-breaking event at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London was able to unite over forty five (45) foreign investors and representatives across varying sectors. Some of these sectors include, but are not limited to real estate investments, construction, airport management, tourism, logistics, healthcare and climate change resilience. Invest SVG wishes to extend its gratitude towards its partners DMA Invest, UK Export Finance and the SVG High Commission for making this session possible.
Invest SVG and the Bank of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines remind the diaspora that registration for the second leg of the programme is still underway and available through Invest SVG’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). They look forward to an even greater attendance from Vincentians living abroad.
The final sessions for this programme are as follows:
- Toronto, Canada: May 10th
- Washington DC, USA: May 14th
- New York City, USA: May 17th