Road to Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES2019)

Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes was a speaker at this year’s Road to Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES2019) Caribbean event. The Road to GES events are a series of signature events in anticipation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2019, which is scheduled to be held in the Hague, the Netherlands in June 2019.

The aim of the event is to gather governments, entrepreneurs and powerful partners to turn challenges into business opportunities worldwide.  The Road to GES2019 Caribbean will focus on global opportunities in the sectors: Water & Energy, Well being & Health and Sustainable Tourism. Prime Minister of Aruba spoke about what entrepreneurship and innovation means for the economy. Read her speech below.

“Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen, special guests and government officials, and most importantly our many entrepreneurs who are present here today for the official opening of the Road to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2019. A special thank you to the organizing committee and Prime Minister of Curacao Mr. Eugene Rhuggenaath for the invitation to participate in this special event. It is truly a privilege and honor to be among creative and daring entrepreneurs and change-makers from the region and beyond.

As islanders, we are known for our creativity and innovative culture ignited by the challenges we face as a community. Our creativity and imagination know no boundaries. This strength manifests in a very visible and vibrant way during our carnival seasons. Creativity is in our DNA. The entrepreneurial spirit lives within us all. And this is why gatherings like this are important to stay connected and to share our experiences with each other.

In the case of Aruba, our main source of economic prosperity, the thriving tourism industry, grew thanks to our unique natural resources, the cordiality of our people, and the beautiful turquoise waters that surround us.  

From its early days, the progression of our island boomed through the establishment of the oil industry. Providing many locals with job opportunities and accelerated the development of the island.

Setbacks in the oil industry opened doors for the tourism industry to make its big debut in the late 70s and 80s. When the refinery first closed in Aruba, our people were faced with a new dilemma. Jobs were lost and a crisis ensued. However, through this time of uncertainty is were creativity and innovation blossomed. Thanks to the courageous and daring entrepreneurs of that time that sought opportunities to grow the industry within a few short years. This is why I know that the entrepreneurial spirit lives within us, not just in Aruba, but also in Curacao, St.Maarten, Bonaire and Curacao. We know how to survive and flex our innovation muscles when called upon.

I share our story with you today, because Aruba, like many other islands in the Caribbean region, thrived or benefitted from the exponential growth of the tourism industry or oil sector. However, like the times of uncertainty we faced many years ago, we face challenges of the same scale today, whether driven by internal or external factors.

Digitalization and globalization are causing radical changes in traditional industries. I’m sure you all remember or at least most of you remember when the use of email was a big deal. And how many of you remember the dial-up sound the modems used to make when connecting to the internet? Thanks to the internet, a lot has changed, and our lives have changed too. Now we are at the brink of another technological evolution.  Self-driving cars and employee-less supermarkets are already here.  Artificial Intelligence is able to learn and attend to our desires today before we even knew we had any.

These changes will disrupt the way we do business forever. Jobs as we know them will change or may even disappear. Some jobs do not even exist yet.

As true islanders we must ride the wave of opportunity and not be threatened by the ambiguity of digital transformation. It is not a matter of IFthis wave of change will hit our islands, but it is a case of WHEN.

We are bonded by our creativity coming alive through our diverse cultures and our curious openhearted people. We have in us what it takes to leverage this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build new products and services that the world wants. In the 21^stcentury, our small size is not a threat but a great competitive advantage! 

Human capital is our most important enabler for innovation. In Aruba, we have prioritized a human-centered approach to innovation. In this context, innovation means developing solutions together with our people. Home-grown solutions for our societal challenges, using new collaboration models within and across our borders. This approach is further supported by the UN 2030 SDG Framework that Aruba has adopted.

In order to create a more resilient region, we must focus on building the right ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish. A safe space where entrepreneurs get the opportunity to fail and try again, and again until they find their path. A shift of mindset is required towards collaboration and data-sharing. This requires a government that functions as an agile partner, enabling the right environment for entrepreneurs and the private sector to lead innovation.  We create the space, you bring the ideas and together we make it happen. Aruba is 100% committed to this model.

Daring entrepreneurs can and will find creative solutions to our problems if we don’t stand in their way. Combining the unique qualities and creative spirit of our people is by far our greatest asset to solve the many challenges we face today and will face in a future filled with ambiguity.

The road to GES2019 offers us a unique opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, between the Dutch Kingdom and also with our partners, such as the United States.  Events like this offer space for collaboration between our nations and should be encouraged beyond GES.

And to the entrepreneurs here today….. remember that you play an essential role in not only our economies, but you are role-models for our younger generations.  You inspire them to be courageous, to take risks. I urge you to tell your stories, share your wins and also your failures. There is so much we can all learn from you.

I want to leave you with this. COURAGE and CREATIVITY. Curashi y Creatividad. Two of the most valuable skills an entrepreneur can have. It takes courage to challenge the status quo and go against the grain. It takes courage and creativity to be inspired by your failures, as it offers space to learn and improve. It doesn’t matter if you find a solution after the first try or the 15^thtry. It takes courage and creativity to not only fail, but to get up and try again.

Thomas Edison said it best: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

If you don’t succeed on the first try, try again tomorrow, and the next day. Your community is counting on you, the world is counting on you.

It only takes ONE IDEA to become the next big innovation that could transcend the boundaries of our beautiful shores, but…. it takes a creative and courageous village to make it happen.

I wish you all an inspiring Road to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2019 here in dushi Curaçao.

Danki.” – Evelyn Wever-Croes