Contact Magazine - Transforming Trinidad & Tobago

transforming t&T
Desperate
for change
Critically dependent on Trinidad, and
badly hurt by the prolonged turmoil on
the seabridge, Tobago is in urgent need
of transformative action
WORDS By: hiLlary young
For economic transformation to take place in Tobago, the island must
identify and develop its own industries, says Tobago-born UWI economics
lecturer Anthony Birchwood. And “once the industries are identified, the
youths must be part of any development going forward.”
Tourism and manufacturing will benefit from investment flows, both
international and local. But development must be driven by the private sector, or by
the government/Tobago House of Assembly (THA) – or both.
The THA’s plans
The Tobago House of Assembly documented its proposals for Tobago’s economic
development in its Comprehensive Economic Development Plan (CEDP) 2.0.
Covering the island’s development from 2013 to 2017, the policy framework
showed how the THA wants to “transform and diversify the Tobago economy ... to
adjust to rapid changes in the national and international economies”.
The plan concentrated on eight strategic areas:
• good governance and institutional reform
• business development and entrepreneurship
• human capital development
• social development and resilience
• improved infrastructure and utilities
• enhanced safety and security
• environmental sustainability
• branding Tobago “Clean, Green, Safe and Serene”.
32
Trinidad
and Tobago Chamber
of Industry and Commerce
www.chamber.org.tt/contact-magazine