About the 9th GRD 2025

The ECCB will host the 9^th annual Growth and Resilience Dialogue on Thursday, 10 April and Friday,11 April 2025. The Dialogue promises to be a transformative event, bringing together industry leaders, public and private sector representatives and members of the public to tackle critical issues impacting our region’s development and growth. 

The conference to be hosted at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium, ECCB Campus, in Basseterre, Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis will address how sustainable tourism, investments in sports, data innovation and resilience and electric vehicles could help shape a more prosperous future for our region. General registration will provide free online access to the conference.

Themed "In the Pursuit of Extraordinary Excellence," this two-day event invites participants to engage in dynamic discussions and interactive sessions that aim to generate practical solutions for the future of the OECS and the wider Caribbean. 

The theme draws inspiration from ECCB Governor, Timothy N.J. Antoine’s 2023 ‘Big Push’ challenge, which poses the critical question, “What would it take to double the size of our economies over the next decade?” It calls on us to pursue bold and extraordinary initiatives that will lead to tangible socio-economic development and lasting positive change.

The conference organisers have curated an exciting agenda. 

Day One keynote addresses and presentations will delve into how to ensure sustainability in tourism, with a focus on indigenous and regenerative tourism practices. Additionally, there will be interactive sessions including live demonstrations on data mining, data resilience and building robust digital infrastructures to support our region’s technological landscape.

Day Two engagements will highlight sports investment and development, as well as the path for adoption of electric vehicles in the OECS. Highlights will include a discussion with 2024 Triple Jump Olympic Champion, Thea Lafond-Gadson, a panel discussion on developing our region’s ecosystem for electric vehicles (EV); a masterclass on business and career opportunities in EV sales and servicing, and an exciting solar-powered EV showcase.

Conference speakers include:

1. Timothy N.J. Antoine – Governor, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)
2. Dr. Didacus Jules – Director General, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
3. Nataliya Mylenko – Lead Economist, Caribbean Region, World Bank Group
4. Donna Regis-Prosper – Secretary General and CEO, Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)
5. Anette Sanford, Kalinago Chief, Commonwealth of Dominica
6. Thea LaFond-Gadson – Olympic Gold Medallist, 2024 Paris Olympics
7. Dr. Curtis Charles – Director of Academic Affairs, The University of the West Indies
8. Dr. Legena Henry – Mechanical Engineer, CEO and Founder, Rum and Sargassum Inc.
9. Dr. Wayne E. Archibald– Founder & Executive Director, Green Solutions International SKN Incorporated
10. Jusceno Jacob – Managing Director, Eco-Solutions
11. Fiona Compton – Historian/Educator, Filmmaker/Content Creator, Founder of @knowyourcaribbean
12. Emmanuel Oscar, Sr. Systems Engineering Manager - Caribbean at Fortinet
13. Collin D. Butler, Caribbean comedian, storyteller, and author
14. Dr Jennifer Edwards, Senior Advisor and Sustainable Tourism Specialist, Tourism Development Corporation of The Bahamas
15. Jacque Robinson, Automobile Lecturer, Dominica State College
16. Dr David Farrell, Principal, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology
17. Tanner Suttie, Security Architect on the Cyber Defense Team, Hitachi Cyber.

Register for online access to the 9^th Growth and Resilience Dialogue scheduled for Thursday 10 and Friday 11 April, 2025 and join us for an exciting two days as together we craft bold, forward-thinking solutions to drive sustainable growth and resilience in our region against the backdrop of the theme, “In pursuit of Extraordinary Excellence”. 

Click link to register: Webinar Registration - Zoom

This two-day conference invites participants to engage in dynamic discussions and interactive sessions that aim to generate practical solutions for the future of the OECS and the wider Caribbean focusing on four areas: 

1. Indigenous and Regenerative Tourism – Reimagining tourism for increased sustainability and cultural empowerment.
2. Sports Investment and Development – Unlocking opportunities for economic growth and community transformation through sports.
3. Data Infrastructure and Resilience – Strengthening ecosystems for long-term economic and societal resilience.
4. Electric Vehicles (EVs) – Accelerating the transition to sustainable mobility and clean energy solutions.

Online attendees will also have an opportunity to win an early bird registration prize valued at EC$500 if their registration is received on or before March 25, 2025.