National Investment Promotion Inc. services

• Image Building: – This relates primarily to marketing and promoting St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ investment potential (all economic sectors) and involves a range of activities that can be classified into three main categories: advertising in general media, participating in investment exhibitions, advertising in industry or sector specific media, conducting general investment missions from source country to host country and vice versa and conducting general information seminars on investment opportunities.{{more}}

• Investor and business facilitation Services: – The core of NIPI efforts is the provision of services to investors. There are three main activities related to investor services: Pre-investment activities- provide basic information to investors including arrangements for foreign investors to visit host country, itinerary arrangements and meetings with various government officials; Project Implementation- assisting investors during project implementation and would generally include investment counseling services, expediting the processing of applications and permits etc; Post-investment Services- includes periodic meetings with existing investors in an effort to gather information on issues they face and help them resolve problems. This function is managed by the Business Facilitation Officer.

• Investment Generation:

– activities involve the development of effective targeted programmes according to priority sectors identified in the country’s Development Plan. The NIPI contacts investors proactively and convinces them to invest in SVG. A variety of instruments are used: contacting investors – face-to-face, by phone, mail and telemarketing and conducting sector specific information seminars/missions abroad. In addition, the NIPI organizes meetings for investors with potential local partners or actively conducts sectoral or market studies for specific group of investors, followed by sales presentations. This function also falls within the purview of the Business Facilitation Officer.

• Policy Advocacy: to assist in reshaping the investment landscape by influencing reforms in investment legislation, procedures, regulation and policies thereby creating a more favorable investment climate in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Activities include participating in policy task forces, developing lobbying activities, drafting policy recommendations and reporting investors’ perceptions, including business environment surveys.

• Export Development: (a) Spearhead the country’s export development programme including the development of a National Export Strategy. Some of these activities include: launching of the NES process, selecting core teams, arranging for training on Export Strategy Template developed by the International Trade Centre and sector/cross sector strategies, review, update and finalise Response Paper, hold national symposiums and finalise the National Export Strategy Paper. (b)Trade Support and Trade Promotion Organisation- In order to operate as a trade support and trade promotion organization the NIPI will develop an online Export Help desk for exporters, trade associations and stakeholder government Ministries. (c) Promotion of the help desk using conventional methods such as stickers, brochures, local media and road shows.

• Research and Information development: to provide timely and accurate investment intelligence to potential and existing investors, NIPI’s departments, and government ministries; and conduct on going assessments of the business climate (local, regional, international) to inform decisions on the necessary reforms for a more favorable investment climate in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Activities include: (a) business environment surveys (b) benchmarking studies (c) Development of FDI benefit index to assess the impact of FDI, (d) maintain an electronic and physical library (e) develop and publish a validated investment guide (f) develop a registry of skilled professionals across all sectors.