25 September 2024
Minister for Treasury and Economic Development Mark Brooks, Financial Secretary Dax Richards, and Director of Economic Development Damian Burns will depart St Helena on Saturday 28 September 2024.
Minister Brooks, Dax and Damian will be travelling to Gibraltar from 01 to 04 October 2024, to meet with officials from the Government of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Finance, Gibraltar International Bank, and the Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit. The purpose of the visit is to continue to explore joint working between St Helena and Gibraltar on a number of topics – including banking, financial services regulation and enforcement, and other areas of shared interest.
Joining the delegation will be Chair of the St Helena Financial Services Regulatory Authority, Chris Mead, and Chair of the Bank of St Helena, Michael Bird.
From 06 to 10 October, Minister Brooks and the Financial Secretary will be in Brussels attending the Green Overseas (GO) conference on Climate Finance. The GO conference will provide an opportunity for unlocking climate finance for Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT’s) with the aim to contribute to the sustainable, resilient and inclusive development of the OCT’s. For St Helena, particular focus will be on finding potential funding partners for the renewable energy project which is entering the final stages of the design and modelling work.
Damian will also represent St Helena at the Africa Financial Services Investment Conference (AFSIC) Investing in Africa Conference and Expo 2024, which will be taking place in London between 07 and 09 October 2024, accompanied by Head of Tourism, Matthew Joshua.
AFSIC provides a summit for countries to present their upcoming projects and investment opportunities to leading institutional investors, grow their network, and promote their product. This event will provide St Helena with a platform to connect with parties with significant interest in investment, business, and trade opportunities in the Africa region. Areas of focus for the team will be hospitality, digital infrastructure, high-value agriculture, and financial services.
Damian will further use his time in London to meet with key stakeholders, including colleagues at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
Minister Brooks and the Financial Secretary will return to St Helena on Saturday 12 October 2024. Damian will return on 02 November, following a period of annual leave.
In the Minister’s absence, the responsibility for the Treasury and Economic Development Portfolios will be handed to Chief Minister Julie Thomas for any urgent issues. Minister Brooks can still be contactable by email on mark.brooks@sainthelena.gov.sh.
The trip is being funded through a combination of the EDF11 Programme, Financial Services and Company Registry Development Programme, and the Economic Development recurrent budget.
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