1. 4 th BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS BANKING AND FINANCE CONFERENCE

2. CURRENT STATUS AND FACTORS  DEPENDENCE ON ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPEAN MARKETS  HIGH ENERGY AND FOOD PRICES  TOURISM SUFFERING, UNEMPLOYMENT  STAGNATED FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT  ECONOMIES NOT DIVERSIFIED  RISING DEBT LEVELS AND DEFICITS  REGIONAL PRIVATE SECTOR CLICO IMPACT SHAKEN CONFIDENCE, STOCK MARKETS SLUGGISH

3. GLOBAL FACTORS SLOWING RECOVERY  MIDDLE EAST CRISIS SUSTAINED HIGH OIL PRICES IMPACT ON CONSUMERS AND ENERGY  EUROPEAN SOVERIGN DEBT CRISIS RATING DOWNGRADES, DEBT, DEFICITS  US LABOUR AND HOUSING MARKET  JAPANESE CRISIS DEMAND, CURRENCY, DEBT  CHINA HIGH INFLATION TIGHTENING MONETARY POLICY

4. SOLUTIONS – SHORT TERM  STIMULUS AND GOVT SPENDING CONTRACTORS, SALARIES, TAX MEASURES  MANAGE DEBT AND BUDGETS TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE  IMPROVE COMPETITIVENESS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR – SUSTAINABILITY  EFFECTIVELY MANAGE CLICO FALLOUT IN THE CARIBBEAN  RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN FINANCIAL REGULATORY SYSTEM  ROLE OF THE BANKING SECTOR AND CREDIT IN STIMULATING GROWTH

5. COMPETITVENESS AND INNOVATION  WORLD FORUM GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS INDEX - BARBADOS 43 TRINIDAD ANF TOBAGO 84 GUYANA 110 WHY HAVE SMES NOT TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF CROSS BORDER OPPORTUNITIES AND CARICOM

6. CLIMATE FOR ATTRACTING INVESTMENTS  STOCK MARKETS – IPOS, NATIONAL ASSETS FOR NATIONAL INVESTMENT  DIVERSIFICATION OF ECONOMIES FROM OIL AND GAS, TOURISM  ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND PARTNERING WITH GOVERNMENTS  ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

7. ROLE OF PUBLIC SECTOR  INCENTIVES AND NEW AREAS FOR FDI  REDUCE BUREAUCRACY - EASE OF DOING BUSINESS TTBIZLINK  SMES AS WELL AS LARGE FIRMS  FINANCIAL AND LEGAL REGULATION  TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY IN PUBLIC PRACTICES PUBLIC PROCUREMENT  LABOUR RELATIONS CLIMATE  SOCIAL CLIMATE CRIME AND OTHER FACTORS, REVERSE BRAIN DRAIN

8. ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR  INVEST IN NEW OPPORTUNITIES BY PARTNERING, CLUSTERING (STILL SMALL)  HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT CREATION  INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY, MOERN PLANT AND MACHINERY  ACCESS TO FINANCE INTERNATIONAL  DREAM BIG IF COMPETITIVE AND PRODUCTIVE, THEN NO LIMIT ON MARKETS

9. OPPORTUNITIES  RENEWABLE ENERGY – GUYANA HYDRO, OTHERS SOLAR AND WIND  DEVELOP MANUFACTURING SECTOR THROUGH COMPETITIVENESS AND PRODUCTIVITY  AGRICULTURE  DOWNSTREAM ENERGY POLYPROPYLENE, POLYETHYLENE  GAS PROJECT (JAMAICA LNG), GUYANA