The Department of Economic Development, Transport, and Civil Aviation launched the Saint Lucia Social and Economic Labs on Nov. 2. The lab methodology is a new approach which the government is undertaking to develop and deliver the Medium Term Development Strategy (MTDS) for 2019-2022.

The process began in April 2018, when Saint Lucia’s Cabinet and senior officials from the public service, together with representatives from the private sector, prioritised six Key Results Areas (KRAs) for the medium term. The six KRAs comprise three Economic KRAs, which are tourism, agriculture and infrastructure, and three Social KRAs, which are healthcare, education and crime. Collectively, these sectors represent some of the most important areas that impact the lives of every Saint Lucian.

The Department of Economic Development, Transport and Civil Aviation is now proceeding with phase two of the process and will be hosting focus group sessions from Nov. 20 – 30 at the Royalton St. Lucia Resort and Spa.

Subsequently, the department will host the Labs from Dec. 3 – 12. The objectives of the focus groups and labs are to identify issues and opportunities under each KRA, prioritise solutions and develop detailed implementation plans for execution over the next four years.

The two sessions will involve participation of key stakeholders from the public and private sectors as well as academia. The output of the labs will be detailed implementation plans as well as budget requirements to undertake the identified initiatives and projects in keeping with the objectives of the MTDS 2019-2022.