SAINT LUCIA’S investment climate remains buoyant despite the domestic and global challenges that the island is currently faced with. So says CEO of Invest St Lucia McHale Andrew.
Appearing on the live radio talk show 90 Minutes on Radio Saint Lucia, Andrew pointed to the fact that a number of new and ongoing investments are expected to reach their full implementation stage by the first half of 2015.
“While we remain cautiously optimistic about the investment prospects, there are a quite a few projects that we can tout as having gone through the various stages of the investment process and are either at implementation stage or near completion,” he explained.
“Freedom Bay,” he cited,” is one of two examples of hotel projects currently under construction in Soufriere. The newly opened Dive Saint Lucia has already begun construction works on the proposed 115-room hotel with completion expected by mid-2016.”
Capella at Marigot Bay as well as Blue Diamond’s acquisition of Smugglers were also worthy of mention as projects that were successfully implemented in 2014.
Some other pipeline projects include the Marine Adventure Park in Canaries, Antilia Brewing Company in Rodney Bay, the marina development in Vieux-Fort as well as two projects related to medical tourism.
Joining him in the discussion was Minister responsible for Investments, Emma Hippolyte who urged local investors with sitting capital to follow the examples set by Duboulay’s Bottling and a number of others to reinvest in their businesses and even create new avenues in which to make a return on their investment.
She also noted that one of the major challenges experienced with attracting and retaining investments is the fact that all related agencies are not necessarily on the same page.
“Our competition is the world,” she emphasized. “How do you get Customs and Immigration officers for example to get to the point where we’re all on the same page?
“How do we get all the agencies on board to provide Invest Saint Lucia with timely and reliable information for investors? These are some of the challenges that we hope to overcome in the near future so that we all see and work towards the big picture,” said the Minister.
Invest Saint Lucia’s approach to targeting investments includes matching investors with Saint Lucia’s value proposition and streamlining propositions to determine where Saint Lucia has a comparative advantage and where we can build a competitive advantage using those attributes, Andrew said.
He promised the listening audience that once those other projects gain traction, a more official proclamation will be made by Invest Saint Lucia.
“How do you get Customs and Immigration officers for example to get to the point where we’re all on the same page?
“How do we get all the agencies on board to provide Invest Saint Lucia with timely and reliable information for investors?
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Emma, that is why we threw out the UWP and put your party in power. And now, after nearly 4 years in office, you are asking us how to make your government function? Resign!!!
teach the immigration officers to be polite and smile instead of the mean bully looking faces.
That will give u a different feeling when u come to the island tired after a long journey.
Remember that first emotion stays.
I agree completely. Emma (amongst others) has absolutely nothing to contribute to this discussion. Why? Shes never run a business or has any understanding what is needed. Same as all the other left leaning, trough snouting politicians.
They demand the mic, then have nothing to say.
Emma Hippolyte and Batos are both singing for their supper I guess. They both have to say what they said but the reality on the ground is differnt, vastly different. And what is the government as a cheerleader for business doing for businesses. Taxing them through their eyeballs, fustrating them and not being sensitive and even recognizing that local business needs help just like the so called foreign ones. Batos and Emma and the SLP administration had absolutely nothing to do with attracting the CPJ Group to invest with the DuBoulays and their successful setup, they had nothing to do with the Harbour Bay investment either. Emma People will not forget the part you had to play in the increase of NIC pensions to 65 while your party squanders off millions for their personal use. Go to hell you two.
SLP is bankrupt of leadership and business growth ideas. This hollow bit of clap-trap does well for the en rouge-nistas, but does nothing in reality for the rest of the country. Tell us, how come there is no significant increase in new start-ups or new businesses for all that falsehood about the investment climate? Shameless and deceitful political barking dogs.
Everytime I observe Ms.Hippolyte talking about her religious beliefs.Nobody really cares about what she believes ,the people’s business must be the ultimate focus.Why all governments in St.Lucia are so slow to be ahead of the competition,no country or territory will be waiting for us.What happened to Sir.John Compton’s quadrants for St.Lucia’s development ,example North West Quadrant Cul De Sac Docking Quay,Cul De Sac Inland Freight Depot.,Castries Cruise Port Development and Central Business District Redevelopment.For more info check Government of St.Lucia Development Conference report titled:Investing in St.Lucia’s Development:Exploring Opportunities;Forging new Partnerships,July,2007.What about the St.Lucia University etc,etc I intend to write a lengthy article about our development another time.