Barbados is deepening its trade and investment relationship with the United Kingdom as it seeks to position itself at the forefront of emerging global industries. The island is focusing on expanding British investment in renewable energy, space technology, and the creative economy — key sectors identified as drivers of sustainable growth.
Speaking at the sixth annual UK Trade Mission to Barbados Business Forum, Minister of Economic Affairs and Investment, Kay McConney, highlighted the island’s commitment to building a modern, innovation-driven economy.
“We are in an evolving global environment, one that demands we pay attention to emerging realities that are changing and shaping the future of business,” McConney said.
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She noted that interest from British investors continues to grow beyond traditional industries such as tourism and financial services. According to the Central Bank’s September 2025 report, Barbados has now recorded 17 consecutive quarters of economic growth, reinforcing investor confidence.
McConney underscored government reforms to modernize systems, digitize services, and streamline the investment process.
“We remain firmly pro-business and forward-looking,” she added. “Barbados is committed to providing a dynamic environment for investment. There are exciting opportunities emerging, and Barbadian entrepreneurs are ready to collaborate with global investors such as yourselves.”
The minister emphasized that deepening UK–Barbados partnerships brings mutual benefits—creating jobs and promoting technology transfer in Barbados, while offering British firms access to new markets and strong returns.
Interest from the UK continues to expand across financial services, ICT, agro-processing, renewable energy, construction, and manufacturing, with new opportunities arising in education, the blue economy, intellectual property, and film production.
“Even though Barbados may be described as a small island state, we are a big ocean state,” McConney said, pointing to the island’s growing potential in innovation, film, and ocean-related industries.
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British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Simon Mustard, echoed these sentiments, urging businesses to deepen collaboration in resilience-building sectors such as renewable energy, digital transformation, and small business development.
“This is a region that’s facing a range of existential challenges in 2025,” Mustard said. “We need to build trading links across this region, deal with renewable energy, develop SMEs, and harness the growth of AI to create new skills and opportunities for modern agriculture and industry.”
Trade between the UK and Barbados has grown by nine per cent over the past year, reaching more than BDS$1.59 billion (£600 million). The UK’s global trade strategy now targets eight high-growth fields — including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, technology, creative industries, and life sciences — supported by £22 billion ($58 billion) in annual research and development and £34 billion ($90 billion) in new capital investment.
Mustard projected that Barbados’ economy would grow by 2.7 per cent this year, driven largely by tourism, construction, renewable energy, and digital innovation.
“With its skilled workforce, stable legal framework, and commitment to innovation, Barbados is ideally positioned to partner with the UK in building the industries of the future,” he said.
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