THE Caricom/Cuba/Florida Trade and Investment Conference which is to be held in Florida, USA tomorrow will assess the climate for conducting business with, and in, countries in the Caribbean, including Cuba.According to organisers of the event, several presentations and panel discussions will examine the opportunities and challenges of investing in, and expanding trade with, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states and Cuba.

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 Honourable Rafael Contreras, Minister of Trade and Investment of Belize.

A presentation by Captain Gerry Gouveia, former chairman of the Guyana 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.

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 will address sources and procedures for attracting financing for investment and trade.

According to Director of CARICOM Outreach Programmes at Outreach Aid to the Americas (OAA) and chair of the conference, Wesley Kirton, “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 the US 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). Among sponsors of the conference are Remix Industries; Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL); SeaFreight Agencies; Destination Management Corporation (DMC); Joy Agness Events Inc; the Highland Agency; Six World Shipping; TM Cell; AA Halaal Distributors; Laparkan Shipping; and Dr. Sabriya B. Ishoof (OBGYN).