00:00Speaking on the TV6 Morning Edition, economist Professor Roger Hossain says while the last decade has been economically challenging for
00:09the country, the focus must now be on how government strategically charts the next five years. He says careful planning
00:19is critical.
00:20I am very worried. It's a tough report and that medium-term outlook would require some very, very careful, skilful
00:30navigation. And it puts the Minister of Trade, Finance and Planning under a lot of pressure because what I am
00:37seeing in the medium-term requires a very, very, very precise surge on.
00:42Hossain says greater emphasis on non-energy exports could significantly transform the economy and change the game for Trinidad and
00:52Tobago.
00:53If Kamama Rajan team were to increase non-energy exports by U.S. 5 billion in 2030, I think every
01:05single Trinidad and Tobago national should support the Permanent Secretary and the Minister of Trade receiving the ORTT.
01:13It would save the Trinidad and Tobago economy. It would save the Trinidad and Tobago economy more than jargon, more
01:20than manati, more than ginger, more than all of those projects combined.
01:27He also welcomes government's plans to increase employment in the media budget review. But he warns that sustainability and foreign
01:36exchange generation must remain central.
01:39We need economic growth that generates, that comes from the generation of foreign exchange. If we walk the pathway of
01:51generated economic growth that does not or is not associated with the generation of foreign exchange, we can end up
02:01in a very, very, in an even worse position than we are now.
02:05Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
Comments