The Development Strategy Assessment of the Eastern Caribbean is the result of a collaborative effort by the OECD and the OECS economies under review: Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This report was carried out by the OECD Development Centre. It benefited from excellent collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Governments of the Eastern Caribbean States.
The review was produced under the guidance of Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Director of the OECD Development Centre. It was led and co‑ordinated by Jan Rieländer, Head of Country Diagnostics and Strategy, together with Kerstin Schopohl, Junior Economist. The report was drafted by Kerstin Schopohl and Kate Chalmers (OECD Development Centre). Camille Auxepaules (OECD Development Centre) provided superb statistical research and drafting support. Myriam Andrieux (OECD Development Centre) provided secretarial assistance.
Special thanks go to the OECS Commission and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) for excellent partnership and support. At the OECS commission led by Director General Dr. Didacus Jules we thank the team for Economic Affairs and Regional Integration, which has been an excellent partner: Jacqueline Flood, Director of Economic Affairs and Regional Integration, Dr. Clarence Henry, Senior Technical Officer, Kevin Hope, Interim Head of Economic Development, and Natasha Augustin for administrative support. We would also like to thank Chamberlain Emmanuel, Head of Environmental Sustainability Cluster at the OECS Commission, Carlene Radix, Head of the Human and Social Cluster at the OECS Commission, and Milva Edmunds-Jerome, Programme Management Unit of the OECS Commission. At the ECCB led by Governor Timothy Antoine, we thank Dr. Valda Henry, Deputy Governor, Imran Williams, Project Officer in the Governor’s Immediate Office and part of the core project team, Teresa Smith, Director of the Research, Statistics and Data Analytics Department and Karen Williams, Senior Project Specialist.
The team is grateful for insightful comments by Sebastián Nieto Parra, Juan Vazquez Zamora and José René Orozco (Latin America Desk, OECD Development Centre), Cecilia Piemonte (OECD Development Co-operation Directorate), Paolo Burnier (OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs), Martha Baxter, Vincent Van Langen and Marianna Karttunen (OECD Public Governance Directorate) and Pascal Saint-Amans, David Bradbury, Bert Brys and Philip Kerfs (OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration).
The OECD team is grateful to the representatives from ministries, agencies, private sector, educational institutions and non-governmental organisations who took part in the meetings during the OECD mission to the Eastern Caribbean in March 2021, as well as for their insightful contributions and comments.
In the Commonwealth of Dominica: Francine Baron, Ambassador (Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica), Denise Edwards, Financial Secretary (Ministry of Finance), Gloria Joseph, Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy), Gerard Jean-Jacques, Chief Development Planner (Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy), Amonia Paul-Rolle, Social Development Planner (Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy), Margaret Roudette-Baptist, Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business and Export Development) and the staff of the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business and Export Development, Rhoda Joseph, Executive Director (Invest Dominica Authority) and the staff of Invest Dominica Authority, Ryan Anselm, Technical Officer (Ministry of Blue and Green Economy, Agriculture and National Food), Aluren Carmian, Coordinator DRM Projects (Ministry of Blue and Green Economy, Agriculture and National Food), Donald Peters, President (Dominica State College), Lizra Fabien, Executive Director (Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce), and Bertilia McKenzie, General Manager (Dominica Electricity Services Limited).
In Saint Kitts and Nevis: Valda Henry, Deputy Governor (Eastern Caribbean Central Bank), Karen Williams, Head of Project and Technical Assistance Unit (Eastern Caribbean Central Bank), Theresa Smith, Head of Research, Statistics and Data Analytics Department (Eastern Caribbean Central Bank), Jasmine Weeks, Permanent Secretary (Ministry of International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs) and the staff of the Ministry of International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Ron Dublin-Collins, Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources) and the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Lavern Queeley, Senior Director (Ministry of Finance), Auren Manners, Director, Economic Affairs and Public Sector Investment Programme (Ministry of Sustainable Development), Moyia Rowtham, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs (Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College), Chidi Liburd-Edwards, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Affairs (Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College), Leighton Naraine, Director of Employee and Programme Development (Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College), Carlton Phipps, Director of Statistical Department (Ministry of Sustainable Development), Stanley Jacobs, Director of Promotion (Saint Kitts Investment and Promotion Agency), Kevin Hope, Executive Director (Saint Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce), Tamara Lawrence, Deputy Director (Nevis Investment and Promotion Agency), and Pearl William, General Manager (Saint Kitts Electricity Company).
In Saint Lucia: Cheryl Hector Fontenelle, Acting Managing Director (Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority), and the staff of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority, Keith Nurse, President/Principal (Sir Arthur Lewis Community College), Brent St. Catherine, Head of the Innovation Hub and Global Careers Programme (Sir Arthur Lewis Community College), Tracy Pilgrim-George, Senior Advancement Officer (Sir Arthur Lewis Community College), Barrymore Felicien, Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives), Souraya Niles-Regis, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives) and the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, Claudius Emmanuel, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Economic Development (Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Youth Economy), Perle Alcindor, Chief Economist of the Department of Economic Development (Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Youth Economy), Sunita Daniel, Chief Executive Officer (Export Saint Lucia), Cletus Bertin, Executive Director (Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation), Gary Jackson, Executive Director (Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Centre), and Devon Gardner, Head of Technical Programmes (Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Centre).
Finally, the team acknowledges Adam Mitchell for editing the manuscript. Aida Buendia, Delphine Grandrieux and Elizabeth Nash from the OECD Development Centre’s Communications and Publications Unit prepared the report for final publication.