SVG Targets New York Diaspora for Investment and Trade Opportunities 

By S.Browne. Updated 4:55 p.m., Monday, September 14, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Invest SVG is taking its push to turn Vincentian diaspora connections into investment and trade opportunities to Brooklyn, New York, where the agency says it hopes to build on momentum generated during outreach sessions in the United Kingdom, the British Virgin Islands and Canada.

The agency will host the New York City edition of its “Home Is Where the Heart Is” Diaspora Outreach and Investment Programme on Saturday, September 19, at the New York Marriott, Brooklyn Bridge, from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Brooklyn engagement is being held in collaboration with the Consulate General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in New York and is expected to bring Vincentians into direct discussions with senior government officials, financial institutions and private-sector representatives.

Investment opportunities will be presented across several sectors, including tourism, agriculture, creative industries, real estate, information and communications technology (ICT), and manufacturing.

Invest SVG Chairman Kevin Hope said Brooklyn was a particularly important location because of its large Vincentian population.

“Brooklyn has always held a special place in the heart of our diaspora community,” Hope said. “We are excited to connect with Vincentians across New York City and the surrounding areas, share the opportunities emerging at home, and strengthen our partnership with the diaspora.”

The New York engagement also comes as Invest SVG seeks to translate discussions with Vincentians abroad into tangible economic opportunities for businesses and producers in SVG.

According to the agency, the dual approach of engaging the diaspora while meeting potential foreign investors has already helped create opportunities for Vincentian products to reach overseas markets during the previous stops on the 2026 tour.

Shanna Browne-Jacobs, Investment Facilitation Services Manager at Invest SVG, said the agency wants to move beyond conversations and towards actual investment.

“We’ve seen tremendous interest from our previous conferences, and we expect New York City to build on that same momentum. Our team is looking forward to converting these conversations into real investments for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,” Browne-Jacobs said.

The New York visit will also include meetings with potential foreign investors in areas including export and trade, tourism, financial services and agriculture.

The agency said this will be one of the first major diaspora engagements involving newly installed Consul General Roland Matthews, who took up his post in New York earlier this year and has been involved in mobilising support for the September 19 session.

Invest SVG Communications Officer Alejandro Tesorero said the agency has used lessons from its previous engagements to strengthen the programme.

“We’re also grateful to the Consulate General here in New York for the tremendous support they’ve provided in pulling this together,” Tesorero said.

The agency said the New York session is already fully booked.

The “Home Is Where the Heart Is” programme is supported by the Bank of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, National Properties Limited and the Saint Vincent Building & Loan Association.

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