tidings
Narissa Fraser
Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell says intra-Caricom travel must be regulated and the excuses that allow the issues to continue must stop.
He was speaking at the TT Manufacturers Association (TTMA) 2022 awards ceremony on Tuesday night at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.
He began his speech by praising TTMA president Tricia Coosal for her persistence in getting him to attend as “it was quite easy to say no given the challenges of, first of all, traveling in and out of Grenada.
“I’m only here because I’m the Prime Minister of Grenada, because I can come on the plane used by the Regional Security System (RSS) to fly me in and out of Trinidad. Otherwise, it will literally require me to spend a week of whole…and the options to get to Trinidad require me to go to Miami and then fly back to Trinidad.
“That’s how difficult it is to travel within the region.”
He said that since trade was being discussed at the ceremony, “if we can’t even move people, then obviously we can’t trade.”
He said he feels the pain of the people in the region, especially since he can only travel freely within the region because of the RSS.
“And if I’m seeing so much trouble, imagine what the citizens of the region have to go through.”
He said that although the Covid19 pandemic created “significant challenges” in the region, “We collectively need to stop making excuses and start taking action and putting resources where they are needed”.
He added, “We don’t ask if the roads are profitable…I don’t think we ask ourselves, ‘Are we making money off the asphalt on the roads?’ So it’s hard for me to understand why we ask, ‘Are we making money off airlines?’ if we recognize the importance of trade”.
He said he looks forward to his country strengthening its ties with TT when it comes to trade.
The two countries, he said, already enjoy “strong cultural and familial ties that are only strengthened by strong trade relations between our nations.”
He said he used the word strong as it was clear which country benefits the most.
In 2019, he said, Grenada exported goods worth $5 million in TT, but imported goods worth $248 million.
“I’m not complaining, just stating the obvious,” he said with a laugh.
He said his administration believes in the power of trade as a “catalyst for social and economic development.”
He added that trade contributes to growth, development and the creation of sustainable jobs.
He listed five areas that he believes are important in transforming the approach to trade, both nationally and regionally: supporting regional food security through trade in fish and agro-processed goods, diversifying the production of goods and services to meet tastes and different interests, the strengthening of private. sector engagement, embracing technological advances in new means of production and public awareness and education.
He said the need for technological advancement is essential for policy makers and businesses.
“We need to ensure that our human resource capacity is well equipped to operate in the economies of the future.
“There is an urgent need for new digital policies if we are to increase our collective competitiveness.”
He urged Caricom leaders, “Let us invest in ourselves today, in our citizens, in our innovation, in our sustainable practices and in the future of our countries.”
