PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has left Guyana for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he will participate in the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF2022) and the Global Business Forum LATAM.

CIF2022 is scheduled for March 22-23, while the Business Forum will be held from March 23-24.

President Ali, the official patron of CIF2022, is expected to deliver the keynote address at the conference, which is being hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency, in association with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA).

CIF2022 is a high-level event that will present a range of investment opportunities in AgTech, Hotel and Resort Development, Fintech, Logistics and Transportation.

The sessions will include ‘Doing Business in the Caribbean’ and ‘Caribbean Investment Opportunities.’ Information on investing in strategic sectors in the Caribbean will also be provided by sector experts including a profile of the sector, business opportunities in the sector and incentives, while specific projects will be highlighted.

President Ali is expected to discuss Guyana’s efforts to support economic diversification to date, including investments in non-oil sectors such as manufacturing, trade and agriculture. He will also highlight the country’s future plans.

UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy, is expected to share lessons from her country’s decades of growth, based on the management of oil resources and deliberate efforts to sustain long-term prosperity of the country through diversification.

She will also explain the role of Expo 2020 in further diversifying the economy by building economic partnerships and boosting international cooperation with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

President Ali is also expected to participate in the Global Business Forum LATAM, which will be attended by several regional leaders, including President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro and President of the Republic of Colombia, Ivan Marquez.

The event, which was launched in 2016, is being held this year under the Patronage of Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The forum is expected to explore how the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) can bolster each other’s economies, post-pandemic.

President Ali is accompanied by the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar; CEO of GO-Invest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop and Director of Projects in the Office of the President, Marcia Nadir-Sharma. (Office of the President)