Curacao iGuide launched: A 'one stop shop' for investment information

L-R: Vanessa Tore, Director, Foreign Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Economic Development of Curacao; Ramon Koffijberg, Executive Director, CINEX; Tessa Jacques, President, CAIPA; Minister Giselle McWilliam, Minister of Economic Development, Curacao; Ian Richards, Economic Affairs Officer, UNCTAD; and Pauline Koeiers, consultant. 

Curacao is the newest country to launch an iGuide, or online investment guide, with the support of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA), the European Union and the Ministry of Economic Development in Curacao.

The iGuide, launched on 2 December, is an online repository of information on the opportunities and conditions for investment in Curacao. iGuides are a joint product of UNCTAD and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking at the launch event, President of CAIPA, Tessa Jacques said: “This iGuide for Curacao, is the fourth one that we have launched in the Caribbean so far. We are very pleased to be working with UNCTAD and Caribbean Export for the development of eight iGuides for the Caribbean region. We have so far launched the iGuides for St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Jamaica, during the last three months.

“We look forward to launching the iGuides for Barbados, St. Kitts & Nevis, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Trinidad & Tobago in 2020,” added Jacques.

Curacao Economic Development Minister Giselle McWilliam highlighted the significant benefit of the iGuide to Curacao, noting: “Curacao as a small island, needs to work hard and invest a lot to be captured and discovered by potential investors. We need to compete with other islands, cities, countries and continents. So, when UNCTAD offered us the opportunity to join the iGuide platform, we accepted immediately. Through such an important international organization like UNCTAD and [CAIPA], we are assured of broad coverage, to capture attention worldwide and regionally.”

This position was supported by the Executive Director of the Curaçao Investment & Export Promotion Agency (CINEX), Ramon Koffijerg, who said: “Many are already familiar with the Investment Guide of CINEX, where all the detailed information is available, online and in hard copy, explaining the investment benefits of Curacao. However, what makes the UNCTAD iGuide very special to us, is the value it carries given the endorsement of the United Nations. This not only adds the element of respect, trust and validity to the information we share, but more so expands our reach into networks we would not have been able to tap into. on our own, as a small island in the Caribbean.”

“Investors are reticent to invest without adequate information,” explained Suzette Hudson, senior advisor, Investment Promotion, Caribbean Export, adding: “It is our hope to have iGuides developed for all the countries that we support as an Agency. In this way, we would have created information ‘one stop shops’ for investors, improving the business climate in the Caribbean by reducing the time and the costs that investors face in trying to secure information from various sources.”

The iGuide for Curacao can be found here. 

About Caribbean Export

Caribbean Export is a regional export development and trade and investment promotion organisation of the Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM) currently executing the Regional Private Sector Programme (RPSDP) funded by the European Union  under the 11^th European Development Fund (EDF)  Caribbean Export’s mission is to increase the competitiveness of Caribbean countries by providing quality export development and trade and investment promotion services through effective programme execution and strategic alliances.

More information about Caribbean Export can be found here.

 About the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA)

The Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) is an umbrella organization of investment promotion agencies in CARIFORUM as well as Curacao, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Association is dedicated to the strengthening of its members and the promotion of the region as an ideal location for investment. Caribbean Export serves as the Secretariat for CAIPA. For further information on CAIPA, visit the CAIPA website.

Share this article: