State Secretary Zsolt Szabo (right) during his working visit to Curaçao.
THE HAGUE--“I look back on a productive visit that gave me valuable insight into several promising developments, particularly in the economic sector,” wrote State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Ferenc Zsolt Szabó about his recent working visit to Curaçao and Aruba.
The visit, focused on exploring economic opportunities, served as preparation for Wednesday’s parliamentary debate on economic developments in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
“From the start of my term, I’ve made it clear that I want to spend half of my time in the islands connecting with entrepreneurs,” Szabó stated on LinkedIn.
In Curaçao, the state secretary visited online marketing firm Profound, where founders Gino Jacobs and Boudino de Jong demonstrated how they are using artificial intelligence in client projects. He also met with the Curaçao Investment & Export Promotion Agency CINEX and several other business owners.
One example Szabó highlighted was D’Farm, a company that cultivates lettuce. “At one point, the entrepreneur sold off much of his personal property to invest in the business,” Szabó wrote. “This illustrates the difficulty small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Curaçao and the other islands face in accessing investment capital. I hope to improve this with the new credit guarantee scheme, the BMKB, which should become more accessible by the end of this year.”
Szabó also engaged with tourism sector representatives on the need to grow the industry in a responsible and sustainable way. He met with United States chargé d'affaires Ramón Negrón to discuss the 2026 commemoration of the First Salute by St. Eustatius.
Previously, newspaper “Amigoe” reported on Szabó’s visit to the Curaçao Council of Ministers. His itinerary also included a tour of the port of Curaçao, where he received briefings from Dutch Customs and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. “Along the
island’s maritime and air borders, joint controls are carried out to combat crime,” Szabó noted. “I saw first-hand how checks are done to prevent individuals with forged documents from entering the island.”
The economic potential of the Caribbean territories will be the focus of a parliamentary debate today, Wednesday, where Minister of Economic Affairs Dirk Beljaarts will also be present. Beljaarts is scheduled to visit Curaçao later this month.
