Two regional institutions dedicated to expanding the investment tapestry of the region have joined forces to participate in this year’s Caribbean investment Forum (CIF) through the pooling of their collective energies and resources into the high profile initiative designed to boost the investment profile of the Caribbean. Caribbean Export, the regional trade and invest promotion agency which has set itself the task of building a resilient Caribbean through aggressive trade and investment undertakings, and Invest Caribbean, a global private sector investment agency have announced that they have joined forces to pour their collective energies into participation in the staging of the event.
The event, which will see potential investors from beyond the region gather at Atlantis in the Bahamas to probe the region’s potentially bankable investment projects will also see participation from the European Union, the Government of The Bahamas, and the CARICOM Secretariat. While the event is being staged in the Bahamas, attendees from outside of the region will expect that it will offer glimpses of investment prospects elsewhere in the region, including Guyana, whose new-found petro profile has transformed it into a country of interest for visitors from outside the region. A release on the teaming up between Caribbean Export and Invest Caribbean said that the two “will collaborate closely… on the selection and packaging of several bankable projects for presentation to investors at the upcoming event. Caribbean Export continues to grow its profile in the region following its recent highly publicized Trade Mission to West Africa in June this year where it not only sought to foster collaboration and explore trade opportunities between Ghana and the Caribbean, but also negotiated the signing of Memoranda of Understanding with various Ghanaian business organizations.”
Invest Caribbean, styles itself ‘the global Caribbean investment agency’, specializing in hand-holding exercises for potential investors from outside the region seeking to take advantage of investment opportunities in the Caribbean. The CIF sees itself as “the marketplace and nerve center for sharing, learning, preparing and finalizing business and investment deals that support the regional transformation to A Bold New Caribbean.” Its missions, it says, are to “attract investment that can fast-track the Caribbean’s transition to a greener and smarter economy. To raise the visibility of the Caribbean as an investment destination and to bring together the investment community to engage with business and create business.”
Information published by the organizers on the focus of the forum says that CIF 2023, which is being presented by Caribbean Export in partnership with the European Union, the Government of The Bahamas, and the CARICOM Secretariat, aims “to drive the Caribbean’s economic transformation, foster job creation, and bridge investment gaps.” It adds that the event’s inclusive platform “seeks to accelerate regional growth through strategic private investments in four pivotal investment sectors: agricultural technology, renewable energy, digital business (including e-commerce, innovation, and FinTech), as well as logistics and transport.”
