Slower growth rate projected for ECCU in 2018

ECCU Chairman, PM Skerrit (4th from left). From left to right: ECCB Governor Timothy Antoine,  OECS Chairman, Allan Chastanet, St. Vincent PM, Ralph Gonzalves and extreme right OECS Director-General, Didicus Jules

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), has projected a growth rate of 2.2 percent, well below the 5% target, for The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union in 2018.

The Council, which comprises finance ministers of ECCU member states and whose current chairman is Dominica’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Roosevelt Skerrit, held its 90th meeting at ECCB headquarters in St. Kitts on Friday (Feb 16, 2018).

A communique released after the meeting states that a growth rate of 2.2 percent has been projected for 2018  which is lower than the 2.3 percent achieved in 2017 as a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September of that year and “still well short of the 5 percent target.”  It says, however, that projections for 2019 point to an acceleration of the growth rate in the Currency Union. In addition, the fiscal surplus for the ECCU was estimated to have narrowed in  2017, partly attributed to a surge in expenditure following the impact of the hurricanes.

According to the release, the ECCU Monetary Council took a decision to move ahead with the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) by July, 2018.  The ECPCGC’s role will be “to support a strong, diversified and resilient financial sector and, by extension, promote economic development within ECCB member territories.”

The ECCB is currently collaborating with The World Bank on the operationalisation of the ECPCGC.

The Monetary Council was also updated on the successful implementation of the first distribution of
approximately $64 million to the creditors under the Plan of Arrangement (BAICO and CLICO) Actwhich was effected on 18 December 2017.

The Act was the result of efforts by member governments of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, through the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank to address the challenges caused by the collapse of British-American Insurance Company Limited (BAICO) and Colonial Life Insurance Company Limited (CLICO) .

The Council also approved the change in the substrate of the ECCB Banknotes from cotton to polymer which the new standard that is widely accepted and implemented around the world.

The entire communique is posted below.

Download (PDF, 291KB)

 

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2 Comments

  1. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    February 19, 2018

    If Roosevelt had any commonsense, and pride, or shame; he would not have stood next to Ralph, the man who made a fool out of him causing him to set his country Dominica backwards to more than a hundred years! 

    While he took Ralph Gonzalves advise and refuse to build an International Airport in Dominica; Ralph went home to St. Vincent and build Argyle International Airport which is now accommodating international flights in and out of St. Vincent.

    Our dependency shall be on LIAT till the end of time thanks to Sir Knight Dr. Punjab Roosevelt Skerrit!

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

  2. Me
    February 19, 2018

    Very interesting in comparison to the 6.5% growth predicted for dominica on GIS website – despite Maria, the closed supermarkets, the lost jobs, the damage. Somebody has’nt added their numbers up very well and I’m not suggesting it’s the ECCB.

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