00:00Economist Professor Roger Hosein says imported gas is not ideal for Trinidad and Tobago,
00:07but the development signals that the economy is moving into a new window of opportunity
00:13and businesses should be ready to seize it.
00:16He used a graph to demonstrate.
00:19Why I think this is important is we are seeing the opportunity for some small businesses to make more money
00:27because clearly the ship is slowly turning around.
00:31The 2026 T035 forecast associated with the latest IMF report shows economic activity
00:40for the five years from the point of the report better than the first three reports.
00:46Professor Hosein says economic growth remains weak when compared with much of the world.
00:53However, new energy deals with Venezuela and renewed exploration are beginning to improve that outlook,
00:59putting the country in a stronger position than it was in before.
01:04Imported gas is not the best thing for Trinidad, but strides are being made in the right direction,
01:10the right notes are being played.
01:12We have seen BP take over the calypso field that is in our waters.
01:18We have not saved Trinidad and Tobago future.
01:23What we have done is we are seeing a medium-term outlook that is for the next five years
01:30that is better than, say, any time before 2015.
01:34Professor Hosein also notes that linking proposed AI centres with human capital
01:40could create a sophisticated new economic platform,
01:43while a resurgence in steel could open another major avenue for growth.
01:49One of the things with steel is there, we are going to possibly consider the production of vanadium.
01:56Now, vanadium is one of the inputs used by the U.S. military.
01:59And about 60% of the market in the U.S., you know, they are struggling to fill.
02:06And if we could fill some of that important military need by the U.S.,
02:12that's, you know, we get a niche opportunity there
02:16that gives us a long-term sustainable demand that could be useful.
02:21Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
