Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General Carla Barnett highlighted investment opportunities in agriculture, renewable energy and tourism, alongside infrastructure supporting regional commerce, at the opening of the World Trade Centre Georgetown International Trade and Investment Conference. She emphasised investment that expands production and diversifies economies, while reviewing regional policy work to improve access to capital, payments and the investment environment. The assessment reflected continued concentration in trade and investment. Merchandise export growth has largely come from energy and commodities, while travel accounted for about 82% of services exports in 2024. CARICOM and the wider Caribbean attracted approximately USD 4 billion in inward foreign direct investment in each of 2024 and 2025, concentrated in tourism, real estate, energy and selected services. Agriculture offers opportunities to expand food production and regional processing and distribution, while renewable energy could reduce production costs. Investment in transportation, logistics and communications would also support trade across the region. Barnett reviewed existing mechanisms supporting regional integration rather than announcing new measures. CARICOM’s Industrial Policy and Strategy seeks to expand productive capacity and business links across borders, while its Investment Policy addresses transparency, predictability and coherence across national investment environments. Work to deepen regional capital markets aims to connect capital with productive opportunities. Regional central banks are considering the CARICOM Payments and Settlement System to improve payments across borders, where inefficient arrangements add costs and delays, particularly for smaller firms. The Intra-CARICOM Double Taxation Agreement seeks greater tax certainty for investment and business activity across national borders while safeguarding member states’ tax interests.

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