WRITTEN BY DON CAMPBELL

MINISTRY OF PLANNING TT

001 868 627 9700

WWW.PLANNING.GOV.TT

Trinidad and Tobago had experienced a swell of development and interest in the island nations and with their hungry pursuit for the next level of industrial and commercial growth came the creation of the Ministry of Planning. Established in July 2012, we spoke with the Minister of Planning, Senator The Honourable Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie regarding the ministries plans for the jewels of the Caribbean.

PLANNING Ahead

The Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development

(MP and SD) is the primary vehicle for the alignment of the

activities focicentral to the government’s Seven Pillars for

Sustainable Development.

“These include People Centered Development, Poverty

Eradication and Social Justice, National and Personal Security, Use of

Information and Communication Technology, Creating a Diversified

and Knowledge Intensive Economy, Good Governance and Foreign

Policy,” Tewari explains, ticking off the boxes to their plans for change.

“The Ministry’s obligation,” he goes on to explain, “Is the

coordination of the National Framework for Sustainable

Development, as well as, the systematic execution of key projects to

fulfill the selected strategic initiatives for the planning period 2011 to

2014.” And the Initiatives adopted by the Ministry include a range of

solutions covering a selection of sectors from national leadership and

innovation through to marketing practices.

With a vision to become a major player in the global arena, a

cornerstone for the development of national policies, the ministry

aims to act as an anvil on which to test the mettle of the plans and

strategies that will lead the country into the future. The responsibility

MINISTRY OF PLANNING TT

“It is the responsibility of this Ministry to expedite and strengthen the National Framework for Sustainable Development,” Tewarie opens up, “And one of the key objectives is to highlight achievements and facilitate meaningful interaction between the Ministry and the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.”

of taking a step back away from the abundant list of things that need to

be done, being able to prioritize which sectors need to be developed

first- ie infrastructure such as roads and bridges need to be developed

to develop other sectors like logistics, construction and engineering,

and make the right choices on the best way to initiate and put plans

into action.

On this, Tewarie is insistent, “The only way to drive the

transformation of Trinidad and Tobago is by defining, coordinating

and facilitating the implementation of the National Policy Agenda,”

Although the ministry has a long list of values that it upholds

and uses to make its decisions innovation is the one that stands out

as the most important. Judging by the business ethos in the country,

innovation is one of the factors that define Trinidad and Tobago,

new ideas are embraced with enthusiasm and spirit and this attitude

has been capitalized upon by the ministry. Helping them avoid the

environmental cost of relying on historic fuels such as coal and petrol

without looking at renewable energies first.

Already they have defined five specific geographic areas (Growth

Poles) throughout the country for economic development and to

become centers of investment. These chosen areas will benefit

from special fiscal packages, including the granting of Free Trade

Zone status and access to tax incentives provided to the agriculture,

manufacturing, and tourism sectors. Areas like Invader’s Bay in Port

of Spain, the Chaguaramas peninsula, Tamana Intec Science and

Technology Park, Cove Estate in Tobago and the capital city of Port

of Spain.

“Projects like the new “protected areas management system” is

just what we look for,” Tewari specifies, “This will cover areas such

as the use of clean technologies like compressed natural gas to run

public buses and the installation of solar lighting, among others.” It

will go toward the government’s implementation of the National

Environmental Policy, Forest Policy, Protected Areas Policy and

National Climate Change Policy. It covers a period of eight years.

“The purpose of the agreement is to assist government in

implementing national policy to achieve these objectives,” Tewarie

said. “The agreement should be seen as a tool to help execute and

implement policy by providing financial assistance and guidelines to

implementation.”

There is still a long way to go, “Trinidad and Tobago has experienced

considerable economic growth since 1995, however the citizens have

not been spared from experiencing growing levels of poverty and

inequality observed in income, education, life expectance and other

important social and economic indicators,” he tells us.

Because of this, the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable

Development partnered with the IDB to turn Port-of-Spain into a

Sustainable City, defined as a city that offers a high quality of life for

its inhabitants, minimises their impact on the natural environment

and has a government that can maintain its economic growth.

The City of Port-of-Spain was one of five pilot cities chosen for the

Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) and began in June

2011, focussed on the development of the communities of East Port-

of-Spain, Belmont and Gonzales.

“The implementation of the Action Plan is estimated to cost (US)

$200 million,” Tewari says, going on to say that the Government and

the IDB have designated approximately (US) $98 million towards

implementation.

The Government and the IDB anticipate that in 2013 and 2014

almost half of the IDB’s total financing to Trinidad and Tobago will go

to the urban sector activities under the ESCI

“We can only achieve lasting prosperity if we are creative, if we

work together and if we keep an eye on innovation in everything that

we do,” concludes Tewarie.

MINISTRY OF PLANNING TT

Endeavour Magazine | 43

CDA’s current investment drive seeks to select the best partners for the development of its major projects. Such investments must adhere to best international practices toward achieving world class results, allowing for the sustainability of CDA’s developmental strategy and achieving its vision to making Chaguaramas the premier provider of the ultimate customer experience.

CHAGUARAMAS . . .the place to beCHAGUARAMAS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Investing In A New Future

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MINISTRY OF PLANNING TT

001 868 627 9700

WWW.PLANNING.GOV.TT

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