PM Kamla begins Brazil business trip Monday; Dookeran to act as PM

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and a large delegation of public officials and private sector business leaders leaves for Brazil Monday on a 5-day business trip to attend the World Economic Forum on Latin America which takes place from April 27-29 in Rio de Janeiro.

A charter flight from Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is taking the delegation to Brazil. The Guardian newspaper reported Monday that cost is US$85,000.

The official delegation includes the Prime Minister, Energy Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Trade and Industry Minister Stephen Cadiz and Foreign Affairs Minister Surujrattan Rambachan.

Also travelling with the team will be the President of the Energy chamber, Charles Percy, Larry Howai, President of the National Gas Company, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association, Dominic Hadeed and chief executive of TSTT, Roberto Peon.

Several business leader are travelling with the delegation on the invitation of Persad-Bissessar and are paying their own expenses. 

The Prime Minister has said the trip will offer exciting opportunities for T&T investors.

“Brazil is considered to be one of the BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China. Brazil is one of the fastest developing nations in the world and it has the potential for investment," she said.

“It presents tremendous potential for our people to invest there, as well as for the people of Brazil to invest in T&T...So either way, South-South co-operation is very important.” Persad-Bissessar added.

“It is not that this is totally new, but given the development of Brazil now, as versus before, given that they have moved in their country—their growth rates, their education and development strategies—in a way which has poised Brazil for take off.

“We are now in the fourth age of mankind...Now we are in the knowledge revolution and expertise and knowledge is what will make the world countries richer.

“So now that we have the expertise and knowledge we stand well to benefit from this,” she said.

Former Health Minister in the Panday UNC administration, Dr Hamza Rafeeq, is Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador to Brazil.

Finance Minister and leader of the Congress of the People, Winston Dookeran, will act as PM while Persad-Bissessar is away. UNC Chairman Jack Warner was acting PM during Persad-Bissessar's last overseas trip to the United States.