Prime Minister Godwin Friday says his government is moving quickly to organise a visit by Taiwanese business leaders to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), following what he described as strong investor interest during his recent official visit to Taipei in sectors ranging from solar energy and hotel development to marine services and agriculture‑related industries.
Speaking Tuesday at a press conference in Kingstown on the trip, Friday said an investment forum hosted in Taiwan drew “a very, very good turnout” and produced concrete expressions of interest from private investors who now want to travel to SVG to explore opportunities on the ground.
He framed the prospective visit as a key step in his administration’s push to have private sector investment lead economic development, alongside support from the planned national development bank and ongoing cooperation with Taiwan.
“When we were in Taiwan, we had an investment forum in which we essentially presented the economic situation in the country, so that people see that there’s possibility, [and] looked at various industries [with] potential investment,” Friday said.
The prime minister said the outcome is that Taiwanese businesspeople are now seeking to organise a delegation to SVG.
“There’s an interest in persons coming as a business delegation, local business people from Taiwan, to come here to look for business opportunities to help us with the development… by investing in productive activities,” he told reporters.
“For them, they’re looking for ways in which they can make money. I mean, that’s what business is about.”
He said his government welcomes that approach, arguing that the country needs precisely this sort of investment to boost growth, create jobs and open space for local firms to plug into larger projects.
Gov’t promises swift follow‑up
Friday indicated that his administration will not allow the momentum generated in Taiwan to slip, promising that local and diplomatic teams will coordinate to bring the Taiwanese delegation to SVG “very quickly”.
He said a dedicated team would be organised in Kingstown, working closely with Ambassador Kenton X. Chance, SVG’s envoy in Taipei, and Ambassador Fiona Fan, Taiwan’s ambassador to SVG, when she returns.
He did not give a timetable for the visit but repeatedly stressed the need for speed, saying the country must seize opportunities as they arise.
Focus on solar energy and the ‘energy transition’
One of the clearest areas of interest from Taiwanese investors, Friday said, was renewable energy, particularly solar power, which he tied to SVG’s broader energy transition agenda.
“In that meeting, I had at least two or three persons come up to me and [who] wanted to have very detailed conversations on the floor about the possibilities of solar.”
He noted that some of those conversations were cut short by the normal flow of a reception, but said the level of interest was unmistakable.
Hotel development and tourism capacity
Another major focus for potential Taiwanese investors, the prime minister said, is tourism, particularly hotel development on the mainland.
He said he urged investors in Taiwan to look seriously at SVG’s accommodation gap, noting that during peak periods such as Carnival, prospective visitors often cannot find rooms, even when flights are available.
He said reports of visitors cancelling trips due to lack of accommodation highlight a structural constraint on the tourism sector.
“We can’t have that happening. When we are attractive, we need to be able to facilitate people to come to the country.”
Friday presented new hotel and tourism investment as essential to capturing more of the potential benefits from infrastructure such as the international airport, and as a way to link local businesses into a growing visitor economy through services and supply chains.
Marine, shipyard and yachting opportunities
The Prime Minister also pointed to significant Taiwanese interest in marine industries, including shipyards, yacht‑related services and maritime maintenance.
As part of the visit, the Vincentian delegation travelled to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, where they toured two shipyards: a large facility building tankers and other big vessels, and a smaller yard specialising in custom‑built mega yachts.
He said the tour highlighted both Taiwan’s industrial capacity and the potential to link SVG more directly into global yachting and marine service networks.
The prime minister suggested that investments related to yachting, boat maintenance and marine services, including at Ottley Hall and within the broader yachting sector, are under consideration as part of discussions with Taiwanese partners.
Agriculture, creative industries and ‘value creation’
Friday also linked the prospective Taiwanese business mission to wider efforts to “generate value” in other sectors, including agriculture and small‑scale creative industries.
He highlighted the existing collaboration at Orange Hill, where smart agriculture and a tissue culture lab have drawn regional attention.
He said Taiwanese officials are “very, very excited” about using modern technology to make agriculture more productive and profitable, especially for young people.
The Prime Minister also referenced Taiwanese examples of repurposed warehouse spaces turned into creative centres, housing artisans such as jewellery makers who have transformed traditional crafts into viable businesses.
He said SVG could learn from these models in supporting local creative entrepreneurs and adding value to cultural products.
Private sector‑led growth as a policy anchor
Friday made it clear that he sees private investment, both domestic and foreign, as central to the country’s development strategy, especially given the tight fiscal constraints the government faces.
He recalled that during the election campaign, his party promised that private sector investment would “lead the development charge” in the economy.
That approach, he said, remains intact and is now being operationalised through initiatives such as the investment forum in Taiwan and the planned business mission to SVG.
“One of the things that we said we would do is that we would have private sector investment leading the development charge in the economy as much as we can do from our local private sector, we will do,” Friday said.
“But we invite foreign [direct] investment as well, because that’s where the real money is, and some of the investments we have to do here are very large.”
The prime minister argued that the state does not have the fiscal capacity, and in many cases should not be the primary investor, in major commercial projects such as hotels. Instead, he said, government should focus on creating an enabling environment, providing complementary infrastructure and ensuring that local people and businesses can benefit from private investment.