Anguilla has
been visited by a number of foremost and credible investors who are likely to pursue varying investment opportunities after seeing for themselves some of the possibilities that exist on the island. They were in Anguilla several days ago touring the island and interacting with Government officials and various potential private sector partners and investors.
The investment groups and their representatives were particularly interested in air and seaport development, marinas, hotel and tourism development and offshore financial business. They met formally at Sheriva Boutique Hotel on Thursday evening, April 28, following their comprehensive island tour. There, they were welcomed to Anguilla by Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Develop
ment, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Mr. Victor Banks. They also met with other Ministers of Government, Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments, business leaders, local investors and other top persons in leadership positions in the island’s public and private sectors.
“Thanks for accepting the invitation from the Government to attend what I am calling an ‘Investment Mixer’, Mr. Banks told the large gathering. “A number of investors are on the island at this time with various areas of focus and they had an opportunity to travel around Anguilla. I made sure that I did not focus their attention on any one thing. I wanted them to see the entire island and make up their minds about what they want to contribute to Anguilla’s development. You may ask, why bring different investors in one room in a competitive environment? That is exactly the reason having them here, because we feel that we have a product in Anguilla which people should compete for. We also believe that a lot of things we have here represent the essence of what we want to share with everybody in the world.”
Mr. Banks said that among the groups was the ICA Group, LLC of Colorado, led by the CEO Mr. Ali Nawaz Shaikh who is originally from Dubai in the Arab Emirates. He also named a number of other investors in the groups. They were all attracted to Anguilla based on various contacts they made over the past couple of weeks, he stated.
Chief Minister Banks went on: “Anguilla is at the crossroads. There is a need for many development projects in the public and private sectors. There are properties that are in distress and need to be re-vitalised.There are public sector projects, like airport development and a range of other projects ,that are important for Anguilla’s take-off…We have a number of projects like Cap Juluca, which is having a change of ownership, and is to be re-vitalised and expanded. There are also other projects that are ready for support. During the banking situation there were a number of projects that were non-performing and we are interested in matching them with investment either from outside or inside Anguilla. It is certainly important to have foreign direct investment to make this happen. We also have an initiative where we are doing a resident by investment project which may be useful for a lot of investors. We are hoping, with the support of the British Government, to go even further with some kind of citizenship by investment programme which can be possible on a quota basis.”
Mr. Shaikh, CEO of the abovementioned ICA Group, was very forthright in his co mments. “I am honoured to be here and things are going to happen. If you guys are serious, do it now,” he remarked. “There is a very dynamic group here and we are here to make money – and if you want to make money with us, we are together with you…I am from Dubai – ten thousand miles away and we can work together.”
Mr. Roy Dan, a Financier and General Facilitator of Business and Finance throughout the world and based in Palm Beach, Florida, stated in part. “I am here looking mainly at the offshore banking situation and how we can utilise that for economic development and social transformation. I offer financial mechanisms which involve the United States Federal Trade Bank, and I offer private securitisation funding through offshore banking … I [also] have the tools and the mechanisms to encourage investors to bring their money and pour it into Anguilla.” He added that he was offering secured financial investment “with literally no risks”.
There were also comments from other investors as follows –
Comment 1:
“Congratulations. This is a beautiful island and I am happy to do business possibilities here. I think Anguilla is the right place, and it is the right time that money from around the world should start moving to this beautiful place. Thank you for showing us what it is all about.”
Comment 2:
“I have been with Claude Smith back in 2007/2008 when we looked at a bunch of investments. Unfortunately, your economy, as that of America, was going down the hill. I believe now is the time to be good partners. We hope to become team members with the Government and some of the local investors.”
Comment 3:
“One of the areas I focus on is tourism and hospitality. I think that Anguilla presents a very unique opportunity to do business and I am very excited about it. It is completely different from any other part of the Caribbean. Anguilla has had the opportunity to evaluate everything that is going on in the region and, with proper planning [investment] ,can be done in in Anguilla in a fashion that can correct some of the inefficiencies in other islands. There are opportunities for resorts, infrastructure, and so on, and with a proper airport there will be additional tourists and businesses would exceed expectations. The Government has a great team and I look forward to doing business very closely together.”
Among the investors was a representative of a French group which Chief Minister Banks said was far ahead in discussions with Government on the Mariners project in Sandy Ground. “He is not going to say anything, but we are at the stage of discussion and negotiation,” Banks said. “The group have already found a number of consultants from Anguilla with whom they will be working. They are still feeling their way around, but are in a very good position to make an investment.”
Mr. Claudel Romney, local investor, Chartered Accountant and Senior Member of the Accounting Firm, BDO in Anguilla, spoke on behalf of a client who is the CEO of Edgewater Resources, and who is interested in marina development – one of the hopeful projects Anguilla is pursuing. He said his client “had researched Anguilla and is very excited about the island.” He continued: “Edgewater Resources are in marina development around the world. They have built marinas in China, Gibraltar, Ireland, you name it
. They have worked with the Governments there and in our region. They work on complex sites and turn them into excellent marinas… and are now working with the Puerto Rican Government in establishing a mega yacht marina. They love what Anguilla is all about. They love the focus of the United Front Government; and they contacted me saying they would like to come and talk with the Government in terms of moving Anguilla in what they call ‘marina tourism’”.
Mr. Romney added: “There are many billionaires out there who are ordering 200 and 300 million dollar-yachts and are looking for upscale marinas in which they can be patrons. I met with one during my business meetings in Miami and he told me that Anguilla was chosen because it is a five-star jurisdiction, and the billionaires who own these 300 million-dollar yachts want top-notch port service. As they looked around the Caribbean they have identified Anguilla as the centre that can provide that level of service… and so they want to come and talk with the Government.”
Mr. Keithley Lake, President of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was grateful to the investors for visiting Anguilla and for their inte
rest in investing in the island. “I too would like to welcome you to Anguilla,” he told them. “Anguilla is on the move, on the rise, and I think this is the correct time to make a decision on moving Anguilla forward. Should you decide to come, the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce will welcome you and will work with you to make sure that you don’t encounter any unnecessary difficulties. This is the time for Anguilla to grow in a way that is beneficial to all the people. I hope that all of your ideas will come to fruition fairly soon so that we can get busy about moving this island upwards and onwards.”
