Trinidad and Tobago will host the inaugural Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF) in November which is expected to attract hundreds of businesses and investors from across the world.
Billed as the “largest gathering of businesses since COVID-19’ in the region, CIF 2022 is being hosted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago government, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies and with the support of the European Union.
The organizers said that the November 8-11 event is intended to help build a “Smarter, Greener Caribbean”.
The CIF 2022 was launched virtually on Tuesday and the Barbados-based Caribbean Export, which is the leading regional trade and investment promotion agency in the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group, said over 400 participants heard details about the “dynamic agenda for the business-focused event which will bring together key decision-makers, foreign-direct investors, government agencies, and entrepreneurs, to engage and connect for the benefit of the region”.
It said the forum will particularly highlight four important sectors for growth; AgTech, Renewable Energy, Transportation and Logistics, and Digital Business. Its main objectives include building regional resilience, establishing long-term jobs, and championing sustainable development.
Caribbean Export’s executive director, Deodat Maharaj, speaking at the launch of the forum said it is timely and essential because “business and investment have an absolutely critical role to play in driving transformation” in the Caribbean.
“The last two years have demonstrated to us more than ever that building resilience must be the top priority of our region. The COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous stress on our economies and societies…it is crystal clear that we need to have a forensic focus on sectors that can drive and advance this transformation.”
The Trinidad and Tobago-based European Union’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Peter Cavendish, said the Caribbean’s attractiveness to investors as a peaceful region with well-established democracies and highly talented populations.
“The Caribbean is composed of vibrant nations which are active in all of the major economic sectors…and the Caribbean nations’ policies are very naturally closely aligned with the EU’s policies in areas such as the Green Deal, digitalization, economic growth and resilience, and in defending common democratic values.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Paula Gopee-Scoon, in welcoming the staging of CIF 2022, said it is truly a regional event.
The speakers will include the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, the founding managing partner of Celesta Capital, Nicholas Brathwaite, as well as the executive director of Invest SVG, Annette Mark, and the President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Massy Holdings, Gervase Warner.
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