PM Friday urges Vincentians in Taiwan to turn opportunity into national development
Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Godwin Friday has called on Vincentians in Taiwan to see themselves as “the leading edge” of the country’s ambitions, urging them to seize the opportunities they have overseas and put them at the service of national development in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).
The Prime Minister addressed the Vincentian diaspora in Taiwan during a luncheon on Saturday, organised by the Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The Prime Minister was in Taiwan from 11-15 August, leading a nine-member delegation on an official visit that coincided with the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between SVG and Taiwan.
He also met with Vincentians at a cocktail reception on Wednesday to celebrate the anniversary of diplomatic ties, and in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on Thursday.
Addressing the Vincentian diaspora in Taipei on Saturday, the prime minister blended personal anecdotes, reflections on the 45 years of relations, and assessments of SVG’s economic and social challenges.
He repeatedly returned to a central theme: investing in people and using education, technology, and diaspora engagement to lift living standards at home.
“Because ultimately, we are all one humanity, no matter what political division we create amongst ourselves,” Friday said, urging his audience to “be that force for good” wherever they are in the world.
Taiwan as industrial giant and partner in development
The trip was the prime minister’s first intercontinental official visit since being elected in November 2025. He praised the warmth and hospitality shown by Taiwanese hosts and highlighted the country’s technological and industrial strength.
He cited visits to National Taiwan Ocean University in Keelung in Northern Taiwan and marine industry facilities in Kaohsiung, noting that while Taiwan is widely known for its semiconductor industry, its shipbuilding capacity underscored that it is “an industrial giant, not just a technological giant”.
He said SVG is looking for ways to adapt Taiwan’s experience to local conditions, drawing on Taiwan’s technological discipline and advanced systems.
Prime Minister Friday said his government is also deepening cooperation in areas like healthcare, citing a meeting with the Taiwanese company constructing the new hospital in Arnos Vale, St. Vincent.
On Thursday, he visited MacKay Memorial Hospital, two days before a team was scheduled to depart for SVG to work on the Health Information System (HIS), linking the nation’s healthcare facilities.
The Prime Minister also spoke of strengthening people-to-people links, with Vincentian students and residents in Taiwan serving as ambassadors for SVG.
“You, who are living here, you breathe life into that diplomatic relationship,” Friday said. “The people-to-people contact is what binds societies, countries together, not just the formal relations that the minister and myself will engage in from time to time.”
Friday framed his appeal against the backdrop of SVG’s structural constraints as a small, resource-poor state.
He reminded the audience that SVG does not possess oil or bauxite, and that even its former “green gold” — bananas — has largely faded as a major export, ephasising that the country’s most valuable resource is its people.
He referenced his inaugural address as prime minister, recalling that he described SVG as “small but we’re precious”, underscoring both the country’s vulnerability and potential.
Friday said this reality made it imperative to invest in human capital, raise expectations of those who access scholarships and external opportunities, and ensure that such advantages are not used solely for personal gain but for the common good.
The push for public–private partnerships
The prime minister was frank with Taiwan-based Vincentians, telling them that his government was confronting rising public debt, now exceeding the size of SVG’s economy and projected to worsen.
There were also social strains that have left “ordinary people poorer” despite mega projects and the difficulty of asking citizens to “endure more”.
He argued that the country must “grow our way out” of debt rather than rely on deeper cuts that would further burden vulnerable people.
Friday reiterated his government’s early promise to “put money back in people’s pockets” and said that when choices are limited, his administration’s decisions would “always come down to helping those who are most vulnerable”.
To drive growth under fiscal constraints, he outlined a strategy built on public–private partnerships (and attracting private capital, both domestic and foreign.
He expressed confidence that, if maintained, this approach would eventually bear fruit and turn things around in SVG.
On Wednesday, the prime minister addressed potential Taiwanese investors at the 2026 St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trade and Investment Opportunity Seminar.
The Prime Minister explained to the Vincentian diaspora how his government intends to transform the Vincentian economy by focusing on four pillars: agriculture, tourism, blue economy and the ‘new economy’ (creative industries).
“Those are the areas that we’re focusing on because those are things we can make a difference on fairly quickly,” he said, expressing hope that tangible results would emerge within the government’s first term, building public confidence for a renewed mandate.
The Prime Minister responded to questions from members of the audience.
The diaspora enagement also included remarks from SVG’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment and Diaspora Affairs, Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, Attorney General Hon. Sarah Louise Mitchell; and Taiwan Ambassador to SVG, Fiona Fan.
The embassy presented a token to each member of the Prime Minister’s delegation, including a polo shirt embroidered with the embassy’s logo for the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The other members of the Prime Minister’s delegation were his wife, Mrs. Ave Friday; Ambassador for Finance, Climate and Investment, Ambassador Kevin Hope; Press Secretary Danielle Veira; Research Officer Addison Thomas; and Close Protection Officers Corporal of Police Desrick Quashie and Police Constable Twana Da Silva.
The delegation was supported by SVG’s Ambassador to Taiwan, H.E. Kenton X. Chance, and his wife, Mrs Symantha Chance, as well as the SVG Embassy in Taiwan
