The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) continued its diaspora engagements on Sunday, telling Vincentians in the United Kingdom that investments in SVG do not have to be in large projects.
“Too often, when we speak about diaspora investment, people think only in terms of very large projects,” Minister of State within the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Innovation, Digital Transformation and Information, Senator Lavern King said.
“Those matter, of course. But there is also another lane that deserves attention, and that is the opportunity to invest in scalable local businesses in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” she said at the Invest SVG Diaspora Outreach and Investment Programme in London.
King said there are small and emerging businesses “with real promise” in SVG.
“Some are already stable enough to onboard a partner,” she said, adding that others have strong products, sound ideas, and committed operators.
“… but they need capital, market access, or strategic support to move to the next level,” the senator said, adding that in some cases, an investment of around EC$100,000 “could make a meaningful difference in helping that business expand production, strengthen packaging and standards, improve distribution, or prepare for export”.
She said this is where the Vincentian diaspora can play a powerful role.
“A Vincentian abroad may not always be in a position to uproot and come home full-time. But that same person may be well placed to identify a business venture of interest, partner with that business through an appropriate structure, and help to get Vincentian products onto shelves abroad,” King said, adding that this kind of partnership can be transformative.
“It can help a business at home scale more quickly, and it can also create a commercially worthwhile opportunity for the investor overseas.”
She said that through Invest SVG, the New Democratic Party administration wants to explore, more deliberately, how businesses, particularly those that are stable enough and ready for growth, can be matched with members of the diaspora who are looking for viable and well-supported opportunities.
“We want to explore the means by which those partnerships can be structured to be beneficial, credible, and lucrative for investors, while also creating jobs and expanding exports for St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” King said.
“That is how we begin to move from sentiment to structure; from goodwill to growth; from connection to tangible opportunity,” she further said.
The senator told the forum that the possibilities are not confined to one sector.
“Whether in agriculture, agro-processing, fisheries, the blue economy, tourism, creative enterprise, digital services, or other emerging fields, there is room for diaspora partnership that is practical and productive.
“There is room for mentorship. There is room for market access support. There is room for co-investment. There is room for helping a promising Vincentian business reach standards and markets it could not reach alone.
There is also room for a stronger connection between Vincentians abroad and young people at home,” King said.
King, who owns a sea moss operation, said, “We must make it easier for our youth to learn from those who have gone ahead of them.
“Through mentorship, exposure, collaboration, internships, professional guidance, and shared experience, the diaspora can help widen the horizon for young Vincentians. That kind of connection builds confidence, expands networks, and opens doors.”
She said that, ultimately, it is “about nation-building in the fullest sense.
“It is about building a St. Vincent and the Grenadines where our people can thrive, where talent is nurtured, where enterprise is supported, where opportunity is more widely shared, and where migration is a choice rather than an economic necessity.
“It is about ensuring that the affection people feel for home can be translated into practical action that strengthens home.”
The senator said that her message to Vincentians in the diaspora is simple:
“Stay connected to home. Stay invested in home. Stay open to the possibility that your next major partnership, your next business venture, your next act of mentorship, or your next contribution to national development may begin with a conversation about St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
King echoed the theme of the event, saying, “Home is where the Heart is”.
She added:
“But home must also be where opportunity lives. Let us work together to make that opportunity more visible, more accessible, and more rewarding for Vincentians everywhere.”
She said that for many Vincentians in the diaspora, “… home is not simply a place on a map.
“It is memory. It is identity. It is family. It is the values that shaped you and the country whose progress you still follow with interest, pride, concern, and hope.”
She said that this is why diaspora engagement matters.
“We are here because the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines recognises that the Diaspora is not an afterthought in national development. You are an important part of it,” King said.
“You are not only people who left home in search of opportunity. You are also people who have gained knowledge, experience, networks, and perspective that can help to build home in meaningful ways. That value is just as important as financial capital.”
