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Barbados’ Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, as she arrives at the meeting with the Social Partnership at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre yesterday.

PM to address country

Barbadians could get a closer insight into what plans the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is proposing for the government to improve the island’s economic situation, when Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley addresses the nation tomorrow.

In a brief comment to questions from The Barbados Advocate yesterday, the PM, who returned on Wednesday from the Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Jamaica, outlined that she would be speaking to the country on several matters come Sunday, including those issues arising from the abolishment of the road tax and the removal of tuition fees at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

Later on her Facebook page, the Finance Minister revealed this would be done through an interview with veteran journalist David Ellis at Ilaro Court at 6 p.m. and would be carried via CBC TV 8, social media and various radio stations.

The PM headed into a closed door meeting with the full social partnership at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, where it was expected that possible recommendations put forward by the IMF would have taken centre stage.

At the request of the newly elected Barbados Labour Party government, an IMF team – led by Bert van Selm – visited between July 2–12 for discussions on the Fund’s financial support for the island’s Economic Recovery and Transformation plan.

He noted that the next phase needed to achieve this target would focus on reducing expenditures—notably by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public services, reducing government transfers to state-owned enterprises by reviewing user fees, exploring options for mergers, and providing stronger oversight.

During its time here, the IMF’s team met with government, private sector and union officials, who all described their talks as cordial.

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