Chamber President Scott emphasises need for National Development Planning
Full live and recap videos available on Chamber YouTube channel: CaymanChamber1
Chamber President Shomari Scott stressed pressing need for comprehensive national development planning as Cayman embraced the economic and social challenges that lay ahead during his address at the annual Parliamentary Luncheon last month.
“National development planning should be at the forefront. How can we say we are building a resilient and sustainable society without a national blueprint with measurable goals and achievable targets? We must have a rock-solid vision for what we consider to be the ideal future in terms of our natural and manmade environment for those who live here,” Mr. Scott said.
“Building resilience and economic sustainability extends beyond the non-traditional 
careers and industries and into our local communities. For the first time, sustainability and resilience are two subjects identified as Ministerial responsibilities. The challenge is now, how we define and prioritize actions to put these platforms into focus,” he asked.
Moving into the future successfully hinged around striking the right balance between development and preservation of natural
resources: “Should additional measures be taken now to preserve our environment to protect our land mass, coral reefs, marine life, mangroves, and unique creatures? Will our children be pleased with the actions that we have taken, or will they be ashamed of us for not making difficult decisions and introducing sufficient measures to protect our environment?” Mr. Scott asked.
By reference to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Mr. Scott pointed out that the most basic needs such as food, shelter need to be addressed before the highest level of ‘self-actualization’ can be attained. “We must focus on both as one can’t be achieved
without the other,” he said, “It’s a difficult balancing act akin to a tight rope across treacherous waters with the promise of the Caymanian dream at the other end. We can and must and will get it right.”
Mr. Scott turned his attention to the Chamber’s continued commitment to inform both Caymanians and the world at large through a series of new videos and campaigns. He previewed a follow-up season to Chamber’s award-winning animated video series, ‘Growth Matters,’. “The next season will be called ‘Financial Services Matters,’ and will help to
shatter any misconceptions about the industry and explain the services this sector offers to our international clients,” he said.
To learn more about “Growth Matters: Financial Services Matter” and watch the full video (click here)
Mr. Scott also unveiled VoTech Stars, the Chamber’s new campaign aimed at informing and attracting more Caymanians to pursue careers in vocational and technical professions. “We must collectively do a better job of preparing, motivating, and placing Caymanians into these roles. One way is by asking Caymanians who are working in these non-traditional careers to share their stories of success whilst we elevate these career paths”, he said. Each VoTech Star will be featured in an individual video to promote their technical/vocation career.
To learn more about “VoTech Stars” and watch the full video (click here)
Photos: Courtney Platt