She also extended an invitation for them to stay over for the annual Trade and Investment Convention (TIC), which takes place over the three days following the CIF.
In a brief address at a reception for business leaders at the Trinidad and Tobago High commission in London, she noted that the TIC has grown stronger over the years and now attracts participants from the Americas, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe.
The CIF, she said, brings representatives of the Commonwealth’s business sector to the country.
She reiterated her commitment and that of her government to ensuring there is sustainable development that provides a better life for all the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
Noting that government alone cannot provide the desired quality of life for citizens, Persad-Bissessar said there is a role in this for the business community.
“We depend on the business sector to create the wealth that is required to implement the many programs that are so necessary for creating that better quality of life of which we speak.
“Our local business sector in turn depends on the investment that businesses such as those gathered here this afternoon can bring to the table,” she said.
“We simply do not have the critical mass of a Brazil or an India to reap the kind of internal economies that they may reap. We need that injection of resources and know how that will complement our proud tradition of business achievement.
“And so, we are here today to tell you that we are now truly open for business. Minister Cadiz and our captains of industry have told you of the type of investment destination that Trinidad and Tobago is currently and the type of destination we are determined to see it become,” she said.
“We have come here to the United Kingdom to have a conversation with you and to share our plans for Trinidad & Tobago. More importantly, we have come to ask you to partner with us in realizing that future.
“Minister Cadiz described us as a “diamond in the rough”, a diamond that can be polished and taken to higher value with your help. We are here to offer you the opportunity to transform this gem of the Caribbean into the highly precious stone it is destined to become.
She promised that there would be opportunities for business “in the definition and development stages, opportunities for investment in areas that are ripe for activity and opportunities in the markets that surround us, for we can be used as the spring board to the Americas and further afield.”
She added, “I am here to endorse the commitment to change, to excellence and to the focus on investment.”
The Prime Minister said, “The message I want to leave you with is that we are not walking blindly into the future.
"We are fully aware of the challenges that exist in garnering the investment dollar, for there are many other countries with similar aims and aspirations.
“We know however that we have a unique product that we have managed to hide successfully under a bushel. We will do so no more," she pledged.
No comments:
Post a Comment