Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge has suggested that fiscal policies must become more agile, and debt management more sustainable, if Barbados and other Caribbean economies are to weather the threat of global shocks.
He made that point this morning when the Central Bank’s 45th Annual Review Seminar started at the Radisson Aquatica Resort, Aquatic Gap, St Michael.
“The Caribbean, in my view, has proven their resilience time and time again [admist] financial disasters, global threats, financial shocks, even the recent pandemic,” he said.
“We have . . . recovered, we have weathered those crises with determination and creativity, but . . . resilience is not just about recovery, it is about building capacity prior to those shocks that allow us to adapt, that allow us to anticipate those future shocks and allow us to recover faster and transform those vulnerabilities into strengths.”
The Governor’s said he expected the seminar to “help us collectively to redefine and frame our thoughts and understanding and strengthen our collective capacity to handle and respond to . . . emerging challenges”.
“As such, I want to emphasise the critical importance . . . of our young emerging scholars in this area. It’s my belief that we must continue to build that gap between the research component that we do and the policy making and ensuring that it involves [the] young generation of Caribbean economists, technocrats, public servants and everyone in the conversation,” he added. (SC)
