UWI Student Wins CAF´s Essay Contest Ideas for the Future

From April 1 to May 31, students between the ages of 18 to 29,  from Trinidad and Tobago submitted their essays for the third edition of the “Ideas for the Future” contest, organized by CAF – Development Bank of Latin America – and the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, on the development challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean in the context generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The winner in Trinidad and Tobago was Tyler Alexander, a student at the University of the West Indies - St. Augustine Campus. The title of Tyler's essay is "Cooperative enterprises and community tourism as a gateway to social and economic revitalization in the Caribbean after COVID-19".

Gianpiero Leoncini, Representative of CAF in Trinidad and Tobago, said: “As a multilateral institution we wish to reach out to different sectors of society, among which tertiary level students are very important for us. The annual essay contest has provided a wonderful opportunity to interact with future Trinbagonian policy-makers. This year the winner wrote a piece of exceptional quality that makes a relevant contribution to post-COVID recovery strategies in the Caribbean".

Dr. Dorian Noel, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, commented: “This initiative provided a platform for students to showcase their knowledge and understanding of complex economic issues and articulate concrete solutions.  I strongly believe that Mr. Alexander's essay has achieved that objective." He added, “as a country and a society, we need to collect the thoughts and ideas of all individuals and put them to good use to solve our economic problems."

For his part, Tyler Alexander, said: "It took many hours of research and writing, but it was a fantastic learning experience and opportunity to put my vision of the future into something specific, actionable and solution-oriented."

Tyler Alexander will compete among 17 other national winners from Latin America and the Caribbean for the top prizes, including the Guillermo Perry Award for the best essay. The last round of the contest will take place in October, 2021.