2025 AMCHAM TT T.H.I.S Speech : Minister Swaratsingh
Wednesday July 2, 2025
The Hon. Kennedy Swaratsingh,
Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development
AMCHAM TT’s Tech Hub Islands Summit 2025
Theme: Engage. Execute. Evolve.
- Anna Henderson – President of AMCHAM T&T;
- The Board of Directors and CEO of AMCHAM T&T;
- Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
- Keynote Speakers: Maxine Williams – Vice President, VP Head of Accessibility and Engagement, Meta;
- Tiankai Feng – Director, Data Strategy & A.I, Thoughtworks Europe
- Event sponsors; distinguished speakers and panellists; members of the media
- All other distinguished guests.
It is a privilege to address this year’s Tech Hub Islands Summit, a gathering that embodies not only the bold spirit of innovation, but also the collective urgency with which we must reimagine our future. Commendations are due to the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago and your partners. Under your compelling theme; Engage, Execute, Evolve, we are reminded that action, not just intention, defines transformation. And in Trinidad and Tobago, we are moving decisively, digitally, and inclusively toward a future powered by innovation and resilience.
Identified globally as a proud Small Island Developing State, our identity comes with a reality we know too well: vulnerability to climate change and external economic shocks, constraints in scale and resources, food security concerns and more. Yet, it is precisely because of these realities that digital transformation is not just a luxury for us, it is a necessity. It is the lever by which we will future-proof our institutions, build resilient communities, while empowering a new generation of innovators, dreamers and doers.
Today, I want to share how Trinidad and Tobago is engaging, executing, and evolving, not just to keep up with the digital revolution, but to lead it in our region.
To Engage for us means Building Digital Bridges for All.
Digital transformation begins with inclusion. We cannot build smart societies without first ensuring that every citizen from our urban centers to the rural districts has access to the digital tools that define modern life.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence, the Honourable Dominic Smith, is leading the development of a National Artificial IntelligenceI Governance Framework aimed at following global best practices, while remaining firmly rooted in the unique values and realities of Trinidad and Tobago. This strategy is anchored in our belief that technology must be citizen-centered, inclusive and results-driven. This will be the driving force behind enhancing this government’s service delivery through digitization, simplifying access and strengthening transparency and trust. Activities like applying for a license, accessing healthcare records or enhancing education, digital platforms will be at the centre of making government more accessible, efficient and secure.
To echo Minister Smith’s objectives, we want to ensure AI is used to empower, not exploit. We want to cover data ethics, algorithmic transparency, procurement standards and citizen redress mechanisms, all in the drive to make things better for our nation.
But technology is only as powerful as the people who use it. That is why we also believe in investing heavily in digital literacy, especially among our youth, small business owners and underserved communities. Our push to expand broadband access and continue building community Wi-Fi hubs ensures that opportunity isn’t limited by geography. Through this, we ensure that every citizen must be empowered to engage meaningfully in the digital economy.
EXECUTE: Turning Data into Development
Execution is where vision meets impact. And in today’s world, execution demands data. Reliable, timely, actionable data.
We are also committed to the efforts of our statistical organisation to centralise, democratise and utilise data for evidence-based policymaking. This initiative is a game-changer for Small Island Developing States. Through the integration of geospatial, economic and social datasets, we are enabling smarter decision-making whether in disaster preparedness, urban planning or resource management. The Central Statistical Office is preparing for a geospatial exercise to begin mapping communities in Trinidad and Tobago to make the data available electronically. This will track changes in our physical space and can be connected to the our spatial development and land development goals via the Town and Country Planning Division.
So through technology we are positive that we can track the progress of our economic reset agenda in real time, identify gaps and importantly attract public private partnerships and even international financing by showing where support is most needed and how it will be used. Execution is no longer guesswork in this case, it is guided by insight.
This approach is also reflected in our domestic agenda. In partnership with the private sector, we are focused on developing open data policies, national dashboards and AI-powered analytics tools to support everything from education reform to climate risk assessments. Businesses, too, are seen as a partner in positioning data not just as a record of the past, but as a roadmap for the future of Trinidad and Tobago.
EVOLVE: Strengthening Institutions for a Digital Tomorrow
To evolve is to prepare for the unknown, this incorporates building systems that are adaptive, agile and anchored in strong governance. A valuable step in this is modernising our institutions not only to adopt digital tools, but to embed digital thinking at every level.
Through a process of entrenching the principles of the Global Digital Compact, ensuring our regulatory frameworks promote innovation while safeguarding privacy, ethics and digital rights. This brings to the fore the issue of cybersecurity. This definitely cannot be an afterthought because it is a core component of our national resilience strategy. We are focused on implementing robust frameworks and investing in talent to protect our digital infrastructure and foster trust in the digital environment.
Equally critical is the development of human capital. This will be accomplished through the training and retraining of civil servants, educators and professionals to lead in a tech-driven future led by upskilling initiatives to fostering public-private-academic partnerships all nurturing a culture of continuous learning and digital confidence.
So yes, through all of this we are evolving how we govern. Digital innovation is also enabling participatory democracy. Citizens are engaging with their government in real-time, contributing ideas while holding leaders accountable. That, my friends, is the power of transformation.
Ladies and gentlemen, the road ahead will not be forged by government alone. Innovation lives in our start-ups, in our incubators, in the quiet labs and vibrant co-working spaces where our youth dare to build the future.
This is a moment for collaboration across borders, sectors and mindsets. We are inviting entrepreneurs to co-create digital solutions for national challenges. We are inviting investors to partner in scaling Caribbean-made technology. And we are inviting thought leaders like you, to be part of a regional ecosystem where innovation is shared, tested and deployed for impact. To put our money where our mouth is, a programme entitled Shaping the Future of Innovation recently handed grants to 25 local awardees with innovative business ideas, with the range being between US fifty thousand to US seventy thousand per recipient. This project is funded by the European Union, in partnership with the IDB Lab and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute, CARIRI as the implementing agency.
Many of these projects range from fashion, to health, to food security, creative endeavours, providing a bright path to steer Trinidad and Tobago’s economy away from an over-dependence on the oil and gas sector.
As I close, I want to emphasise that the Future Is Not a Destination — It’s a Decision.
We in Trinidad and Tobago have decided to lead, not follow. To build, not wait. To evolve, not retreat. Let us engage with our citizens and communities. Let us execute with clarity, precision, and data. Let us evolve our institutions to meet the demands of tomorrow.
The digital age is not something happening to us. It is something we are building, so let us do this together.
Thank you.
