MIRAMAR FLORIDA: A conference in Florida on Wednesday will assess the climate for conducting business with, and in the Caribbean region including Cuba, according to conference organisers.
Several presentations and panel discussions at the CARICOM/CUBA/FLORIDA Trade and Investment Conference will examine the opportunities and challenges of investing in, and expanding trade with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states and Cuba.
According to the organisers, the conference, to be held at the Miramar Cultural Center will be declared open by Ambassador Bayney Karran of Guyana, Dean of the CARICOM Diplomatic Corps in Washington, DC while the keynote address will be delivered by the Honorable Rafael Contreras, Minister of Trade and Investment of Belize.
A presentation by Mr. Gerry Gouveia, former chairman of Guyana’s Private Sector Commission will focus on the investment climate in the Caribbean with special reference to Guyana, while a team from the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) in Trinidad and Tobago, headed by Executive Director Barton Clarke will present on available investment and trade opportunities in the region in the agriculture and related sectors.
Also, a presentation on the various free trade and partial scope agreements which the Caribbean region enjoys with other countries and regions of the world will be delivered by Dr. Mark Kirton, Director (ag) of the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies (UWI).
A high level panel of experts will look at doing business with Cuba while another panel will address sources and procedures for attracting financing for investment and trade.
Director of CARICOM Outreach Programs at Outreach Aid to the Americas (OAA) and chair of the conference Wesley Kirton says “the event is intended to provide a forum for sharing updated information perspectives and strategies designed to provide participants with the knowledge and hands on guidance they can use as entrepreneurs to take advantage of trade and investment opportunities among CARICOM, Cuba and the United States, especially Florida.”
Kirton said that the United States government is making available officials from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to be part of the discussions on financing investment in the region in specific sectors including green energy.
The conference is an initiative of Outreach Aid to the Americas, Inc. in conjunction with CARDI, the City of Miramar whose Mayor Wayne Messam will address the conference, the Greater Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce (GCACC), the Barbados American Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and the newly formed Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC).
