Kingstown St. Vincent May 17, 2026 – The government of St Vincent and the Grenadines says it is strengthening institutional links with overseas nationals through the creation of new diaspora-focused offices and staff positions.
Director of the Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit Allan Alexander said authorities were building a more structured approach to diaspora engagement as part of broader national development plans.
Speaking in Toronto during the “Invest SVG: Home Is Where the Heart Is” initiative, Alexander announced that the government was recruiting additional personnel dedicated specifically to diaspora affairs.
“It is our intention through the Office of Diaspora Affairs to build stronger systems of engagement, to improve communication, to encourage partnership, and to create greater opportunities for diaspora to participate in national development,” he said.
According to Alexander, the government is also seeking to improve the ease of doing business for overseas investors.
“We are creating clear pathways for investment,” he said, adding that diaspora investors should feel “supported, valued and protected.”
The administration has increasingly prioritised diaspora affairs as part of its foreign policy and economic strategy, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, where large Vincentian communities reside.
At the event Foreign Affairs Minister Fitzgerald Bramble announced the appointment of a new Consul General and Deputy Consul General for Toronto, in the persons ofeducator Dr Roderick McKree selected to serve as Consul General and Broadcaster and community activist Lavern ‘Gypsy’ Phillips as deputy, alongside plans to appoint dedicated diaspora and investment officers at the mission.
The Toronto engagement is “Invest SVG: Home Is Where the Heart Is” initiative, which seeks to connect overseas Vincentians with government agencies, financial institutions and private-sector representatives involved in national development.
The outreach programme began in London in April before continuing to Tortola and Toronto, with a final stop scheduled for New York later this month.