“We Want to Invest in SVG”: Vincentians Abroad Show Strong Interest in Local Development 

By Admin. Updated 12:42 p.m., Tuesday, April 15, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

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 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, Camillo Gonsalves, who served as the conference’s keynote speaker.

The event, held at the Holiday Inn Brentford Lock hotel, was made possible through collaboration with the SVG High Commission in London. It took the form of a presentation-based forum, where representatives from each organisation shared information about their offerings and the investment opportunities available.

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”.

Toward the end of Invest SVG’s mission in the United Kingdom, the delegation also participated in the UK–Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trade and Investment Forum, hosted at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London. The event brought together over 45 foreign investors and representatives from various sectors, including real estate, construction, airport management, tourism, logistics, healthcare, and climate resilience.

Invest SVG said they wish to extend their
gratitude towards partners such as Direct Market Access Invest (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 Reminded  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: Toronto, Canada on May 10th, Washington DC, USA on May 14th, and New York City, USA, on May 17th.

You can register for each session through the following link: https://forms.gle/AVUoao3Aknf3f1T47.

For more information, follow Invest SVG on Facebook, Instagram, and  Linkedin or contact 1 784 4572159 / communications@investsvg.com.