Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Dr Damie Sinanan, is calling for the region to shift from being a consumer-based society to one that is driven by innovation, production, and export, warning that the region\u2019s long-term prosperity depends on it. <\/p>\n
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Caribbean Investment Forum at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Tuesday, Sinanan challenged regional stakeholders to act with urgency to reposition the Caribbean as a globally competitive player.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot build resilient economies on consumption alone,\u201d Sinanan declared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to move beyond survival mode and into strategic investment in the sectors that will grow our GDP, create jobs, and secure our future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three-day forum, being held under the theme \u201cTransforming Our Future: Catalyzing Innovation and Investment\u201d, brings together heads of government, private sector leaders, and international partners to discuss investment opportunities in technology, agriculture, and sustainable industries.<\/p>\n
Sinanan emphasised that the Caribbean must not miss the current global shift toward digital transformation, climate-smart agriculture, and green energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we are serious about food security, climate resilience, and energy independence, then we must attract the kind of investments that bring new technology, open new markets, and foster local entrepreneurship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also urged countries to remove the bureaucratic barriers that frustrate investors and innovators alike.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not enough to have vision. We need action. We need the policies and the political will to make the Caribbean a place where business is easy, scalable, and sustainable,\u201d Sinanan told the gathering.<\/p>\n
The forum, hosted by the Government of Jamaica in collaboration with the Caribbean Export Development Agency and other partners, has drawn participation from over 500 delegates across 20 countries.<\/p>\n
For his part, Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness, in his address, said the future of the Caribbean must be shaped by modern strategies that boost resilience, innovation, and sustainability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Caribbean of the future is one that leverages technology to drive productivity, harnesses clean energy to power growth, strengthens infrastructure to enhance competitiveness, and modernises agriculture to ensure food security,\u201d said Holness in a video presentation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the foundational pillars of a resilient and inclusive economy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Holness described the forum as more than just an annual fixture on the investment calendar, hailing it as a clear demonstration of the region\u2019s determination to position itself as a united and globally competitive economic hub.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a whole declaration of our collective intent to present the Caribbean not as isolated island economies, but as a globally competitive and sustainable investment space at the crossroads of the Americas.\u201d<\/p>\n
– Albert Ferguson<\/p>\n
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com<\/a> or editors@gleanerjm.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Dr Damie Sinanan, is calling for the region to shift…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[28,101],"class_list":["post-47496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}