ST GEORGE’S, Grenada — The prime minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas, and the premier of the British Virgin Islands, Dr Orlando Smith, will co-host a leadership summit of Caribbean political and business leaders on Necker Island, BVI.

Grenada’s involvement in the summit is expected to result in the cashing in on significant financial resources to be used to conserve the coastal and marine environment and to boost sustainable sectors such as fisheries and tourism.

Summit organizer, Sheldon Cohen, director of external affairs, Caribbean Program, of The Nature Conservancy, visited Grenada on Wednesday to meet with environment officials to make preliminary arrangements.

The summit, scheduled for May of next year, will bring together leaders from ten Caribbean islands along with global private sector leaders.

At this stage the leaders have to agree on a final date for the summit by way of invitations that will be sent to them. It is expected that a government leaders declaration will be signed at the end of the summit.

Virgin Atlantic’s president Sir Richard Branson asked Thomas to be a co-host of the upcoming summit at their meeting at the Rio +20 Conference in Brazil earlier this year.

Necker Island is owned by Branson.