The trade and investment mission to Antigua and Barbuda involving business
entities out of the UK has been deemed successful as many useful business
contacts have been made between the local business community and members of
the visiting mission.
Sources in the Ministry of Trade, one of the organizing agencies for the mission,
said the response from the local business people to meet with and to hold
meaningful interactions with members of the mission was quite good.
The spokesman noted that it was now up to the local business men and women to
do the follow-up discussions in order to concretise any deals which they may have
initiated during the course of the trade mission. “It is up to them to do that
additional leg work. We in the ministry of trade are merely the facilitators. We
helped to make the contact, now the onus is on them to see these initial
engagements through to fruition,” the source added.
The organisers took the members of the mission on a tour of several areas of the
Antigua to expose them to the several business opportunities that are available
particularly in the hospitality sector.
On Wednesday, the team will visit Barbuda to explore opportunities on the sister
island.
At a social held in their honour on Tuesday night at the residence of the acting UK
Resident High Commission, Trade Minister, E.P Chet Greene, said he was pleased
with the reports he had received of positive engagements between the UK business
people and representatives from the local business community. Greene said he too,
is looking forward to see tangible outcomes from the two days of interactions
between local business interests and the visiting trade mission members.
“We look forward to the continued negotiations, the inking of agreements as well
as the people-to-people exchanges as ultimately, what we are doing is building
relationships are we look forward to increased trade between our two countries,”
he remarked.
UK High Commission to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Scott Furssedonn-
Wood congratulated the members of the mission for participating in the exercise as
it demonstrated their belief in the potential for increased trade between Antigua
and Barbuda and the UK. He said despite the challenges of history the trade
mission offers an opportunity to explore new ways to build on the existing
relationship for the future.
