PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has appointed Alexander Augustine as the manager of its Economic Infrastructure Division, as part of the efforts to deepen engagement and strengthened its on-the-ground presence in Trinidad and Tobago.
The CDB’s Alexander Augustine (left) and Planning, Economic Affairs and Development Minister, Dr. Kennedy Swaratsingh.The region’s premier financial institution said that this enhanced footprint marks a pivotal step as the CDB and the Trinidad and Tobago government enhance efforts to strengthen cooperation, reinforce institutional collaboration, and drive progress toward the nation’s long-term development vision.
“Deploying an in-country presence underscores CDB’s commitment to enhancing our partnership with Trinidad and Tobago. It ensures we are better positioned to unlock high-impact investments and ensure stronger alignment between national priorities and CDB’s development framework,” said L. O’Reilly Lewis, CDB Director of Projects.
The partnership was further reinforced during an introductory meeting between Planning, Economic Affairs and Development Minister, Dr. Kennedy Swaratsingh and Augustine, marking the official start of the six-month assignment.
“CDB’s in-country presence allows us to better understand national priorities, build deeper institutional relationships, and ensure that our support is timely and impactful. I look forward to working closely with our partners in Trinidad and Tobago to advance high-quality projects that deliver meaningful and sustainable development outcomes,” said Augustine.
Swaratsingh said the government “warmly welcomes” the assignment of Augustine to the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development.
“His extensive expertise will greatly support enhanced coordination with the Caribbean Development Bank and strengthen our ongoing partnership in advancing national development priorities.
“We recognise the significant contributions of the CDB across key areas, including climate resilience, poverty assessment and institutional strengthening and we look forward to leveraging this collaboration to achieve more effective delivery of programmes and projects that benefit the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” said Swaratsingh.
During his meeting Augustine outlined the principal objectives of his assignment, including strengthening CDB’s strategic presence through sustained engagement with ministries, agencies, and stakeholders and supporting the government in reviewing and streamlining the Public Sector Investment Programme.
He will also assist in assessing national priorities to identify high-impact areas of collaboration; addressing implementation bottlenecks in the existing portfolio and contributing to capacity building within the ministry.
The CDB said that Augustine’s posting follows recent high-level dialogue between the government and CDB, during which both parties highlighted the need to address longstanding institutional and implementation challenges.
“With Trinidad and Tobago being one of CDB’s largest Borrowing Member Countries and shareholders, the country presents significant potential for expanded development financing across priority sectors. ”
It said that the assignment is a key step in advancing CDB’s Country Engagement Strategy (CES) for Trinidad and Tobago, noting that following a high-level mission in June last year, the two parties agreed that an in-country presence would be essential to guide the CES.
