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| PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar meets Queen Elezabeth II, head of the Commonwealth at a reception in London |
Speaking at a media briefing at Piarco International Airport shortly after her return home, Persad-Bissessar said all objectives set out before the trip were met.
She went to the UK in her dual role as head of the government of Trinidad and Tobago and chair of the Commonwealth. She is the first woman in the history of the Commonwealth to hold the post.
She said she used every opportunity in England to enhance the profile of the country and encourage investment, particularly in the energy sector. Several local business leaders accompanied her as part of the official delegation but at no cost to the state.
Persad-Bissessar said some of the goals of the visit to the UK were:
- Raising Trinidad and Tobago's profile in the Commonwealth
- Seeking new business partnerships
- The overseas launch of both the Children's Life Fund
- The launch Caribbean Investment Forum which is carded for June in Port of Spain
- Meetings with a number of women leaders in the Commonwealth
- A meeting with the Head of the Crown Prosecution in the UK to discuss anti-crime initiatives
She said one energy project of significance came through a high profile meeting with Martin Houston, Vice President of British Gas (BG).
The initiative will assist Trinidad and Tobago in creating a gateway for BG's products into Brazil. Another business project coming from the UK visit was an energy agreement with Ghana. She said Trinidad and Tobago must capitalise on its 100-year experience in the energy sector.
"Mr. Houston has suggested we begin to speak to BG about Tanzania and Kenya since he expressed (the view that) Trinidad and Tobago has the knowledge and experience and has an excellent working relationship with British Gas," she said.
The initiative will assist Trinidad and Tobago in creating a gateway for BG's products into Brazil. Another business project coming from the UK visit was an energy agreement with Ghana. She said Trinidad and Tobago must capitalise on its 100-year experience in the energy sector.
"Mr. Houston has suggested we begin to speak to BG about Tanzania and Kenya since he expressed (the view that) Trinidad and Tobago has the knowledge and experience and has an excellent working relationship with British Gas," she said.
"So the possibilities for Trinidad and Tobago are immense, and we will be discussing these opportunities with both the Minister of Energy and the Energy Chamber."
She also spoke about the expected removal by the UK of an airport tax, noting that it would reduce the cost of travelling between the UK and the Caribbean. That, she said, would help position the country as a business alternative to the Middle East and Japan.
"I am convinced that these investment seeking missions must be led from the top as investors have many alternatives and many opportunities around the world. We are not the only ones seeking investment dollars and technologies."
The Prime Minister was proud to learn of an international report ranked Trinidad and Tobago third in a list of Commonwealth countries where it good to be born a girl. She took some credit for that, saying her term as Minister of Education contributed to that.
"I had introduced universal secondary education, bringing to an end what many of us saw as a discriminatory practice where thousands of our children were denied education at the secondary level. Not because they were not bright, but because there was a lack of school places.
"So, as a country, Trinidad and Tobago has surpassed the Millennium Development Goal requirement for universal secondary education and this was done way back in 2000," she said.
She also spoke about the expected removal by the UK of an airport tax, noting that it would reduce the cost of travelling between the UK and the Caribbean. That, she said, would help position the country as a business alternative to the Middle East and Japan.
"I am convinced that these investment seeking missions must be led from the top as investors have many alternatives and many opportunities around the world. We are not the only ones seeking investment dollars and technologies."
The Prime Minister was proud to learn of an international report ranked Trinidad and Tobago third in a list of Commonwealth countries where it good to be born a girl. She took some credit for that, saying her term as Minister of Education contributed to that.
"I had introduced universal secondary education, bringing to an end what many of us saw as a discriminatory practice where thousands of our children were denied education at the secondary level. Not because they were not bright, but because there was a lack of school places.
"So, as a country, Trinidad and Tobago has surpassed the Millennium Development Goal requirement for universal secondary education and this was done way back in 2000," she said.
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