By Val Matthias. Updated 2:49 p.m., Monday, May 4, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Newly appointed Executive Director of Invest SVG, Anna C. Young, has outlined a diaspora-centred vision for investment and national development, positioning overseas Vincentians as central partners in the future growth of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Speaking during the British Virgin Islands leg of the “Invest SVG: Home is Where the Heart Is” tour, Young emphasized that the government’s broader investment strategy is rooted in strengthening ties with Vincentians abroad while creating more accessible pathways for investment and economic participation.
“There must no longer be a division between home-based Vincentians and diaspora Vincentians,” Young told the gathering. “We are one people.”
The central theme of her presentation focused on national unity, diaspora engagement, and repositioning investment as a shared responsibility for building the country’s future.
Young stressed that overseas Vincentians should not be viewed solely as remittance contributors, but as strategic partners capable of bringing skills, expertise, networks, and long-term investment into the country.
“Investment is not only financial,” she said. “It is human. It is intellectual. It is relational.”
According to Young, the government has identified four priority sectors to drive investment and national transformation: tourism, the green economy, the blue economy, and the creative industries.
“These are not abstract sectors,” she explained. “They are living, growing areas of opportunity.”
She noted that the government is repositioning Invest SVG to focus more aggressively on export and trade development, foreign direct investment, financial services development, and diaspora investment mobilization.
“This repositioning is about ensuring that investment is not only encouraged but actively facilitated,” Young stated.
She also sought to assure potential investors that Invest SVG intends to play a more direct role in helping individuals navigate the investment process.
“We walk with you every step of the way,” she said, outlining support services ranging from business registration and investment structuring to concessions, permits, and investor aftercare.
Young acknowledged that investment processes in the past “have not always been seamless,” but pointed to ongoing legislative reforms, including reviews of the Investment Act and Tourism Aid Act, aimed at improving transparency, consistency, and investor confidence.
“The objective is simple: clarity, predictability and confidence,” she said.
Throughout the address, Young repeatedly returned to the theme of reconnection between the diaspora and their homeland, suggesting that national development requires stronger collaboration across borders.
“Diaspora investment is not supplementary, it is strategic,” she declared, noting that overseas Vincentians bring “confidence, credibility and connection” in addition to capital.
Young also highlighted recent discussions with merchants and business leaders in the British Virgin Islands interested in carrying Vincentian-made products, describing the interest as an example of what can happen when diaspora networks are activated.
“That is not just trade,” she said. “It is visibility, confidence, and expansion for our producers and entrepreneurs back home.”
Closing her remarks, Young called on Vincentians abroad to reconnect with their roots while actively participating in the country’s development agenda.
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