CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett has positioned regional connectivity as the fundamental catalyst for economic and social advancement across the Caribbean community. Addressing delegates at the Connected Caribbean Summit 2025 in St. George’s, Grenada, on December 2, Dr. Barnett articulated a comprehensive vision where digital networks, aviation links, and maritime transport serve as the backbone of regional integration.
In her keynote presentation, the Secretary-General emphasized that robust connectivity infrastructure is indispensable for the full realization of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). This ambitious framework, originally conceived in the 1989 Grand Anse Declaration and institutionalized through the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, requires seamless transportation and communication systems to facilitate cross-border trade, tourism expansion, and meaningful people-to-people exchanges.
While acknowledging measurable progress in regional airline operations, port modernization, and digital transformation initiatives, Dr. Barnett confronted persistent challenges head-on. She identified restricted flight availability, prohibitive operational costs, regulatory fragmentation, and uneven port development as critical barriers impeding regional mobility and commercial exchange.
The digital frontier received particular emphasis, with Dr. Barnett highlighting the region’s achievements in mobile penetration rates and digital literacy programs. She endorsed the strategic implementation of next-generation technologies—including LTE, 5G networks and artificial intelligence—while stressing the imperative of inclusive access for rural and marginalized communities through mechanisms like the Regional Digital Development Strategy.
“Our regional potential will only be unlocked through sustained innovation, unity, and sustainability,” Dr. Barnett asserted. “Strategic partnerships between public institutions and private enterprises, coupled with targeted investments, will catalyze unprecedented opportunities in tourism, trade, and socioeconomic development.”
Concluding her address, the Secretary-General challenged summit participants to generate actionable solutions through collaborative dialogue, emphasizing that harnessing connectivity’s transformative power would ultimately forge a more resilient, prosperous, and interconnected Caribbean Community.