Leader of the United Progressive Party Harold Lovell and Opposition Leader Jamal Pringle will leave the island this month, to participate in what they are calling a Diaspora Connect Roadshow.

Both top members of the UPP will lead a delegation overseas.

The event, the first of its kind is being held under the theme Partnership for Investment and Nation Building.

A series of town hall and private meetings will be held as part of the event from Sept 28 – Oct 3, 2022.

Lovell says these events will be held in the New York Tri-State, Southern Florida, and Atlanta Metro Area, the three main regions where most Antiguan and Barbudan nationals reside.

He said recognizing the tremendous potential that the Diaspora has to offer as an important stakeholder constituency, the Party will present reputable investment opportunities for nation-building, to inspire optimism and interest to help revive Antigua and Barbuda’s struggling economy.

“UPP seeks to build partnerships with individuals and entities with roots, or a vested interest in Antigua and Barbuda. There is a large appetite for investment opportunities in the Diaspora and we want to maximize their contributions by simplifying the process for them to invest or contribute to national development. Diaspora-led investment has been an afterthought in recent times and the UPP will create avenues to tap into their resources by incentivizing them to contribute more than just remittances,” Lovell said.

The UPP Team will also present several private and public partnership opportunities to key audiences.

This, according to him will include several social, economic, and political policies to create meaningful pathways for U.S. businesses or nationals in the Diaspora to invest and contribute to national development.

Job creation through strategic investment and industry diversification will be top priority areas of focus, he said.

“The main goals of the Diaspora Connect Roadshow are twofold, to tap into sources of capital, whether Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) or Diaspora Direct Investments (DDIs) inflows into the country, and to leverage the expertise and resources of Diasporans to support national development.