EVERY so often we get some things very right. Case in point, in my opinion, is the bestowing of this country’s highest national award, the Order of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT), on Professors Pathmanathan Umaharan, Clement Imbert and John Agard.

The selection of these three exemplars indicates that somewhere in us as a country we know what we must do, we know the direction that can bring major benefits, we recognise hard work and dedication and we recognise deserving citizens for these things. The fact that this well-deserved recognition comes at a time when our country is seriously challenged to find hope and solutions to our current socio-economic condition makes these outstanding awards even more poignant.

But there must be follow-through! Now that we have identified not only talented individuals and perhaps, more importantly, their particular fields of endeavour, what are we going to do about it? (If I am allowed to borrow a bit from Heavy D & the Boyz, ‘Now That We Found Love…’).

Will academia, investors and the Government collaborate on a much focused and sustained scale to fund R&D, innovation and commercialisation? Will we seize the opportunity to attract funding including FDI in these areas, as we have successfully done in the case of oil, gas and petrochemicals?

To be fair we have had some successes, some funding in initiatives in pan and cocoa, and we continue to pay some attention to the impact of climate change. Further, some institutions such as NIHERST, The UWI, UTT and the dissolved Economic Development Advisory Board with some help from the government, have studied, researched and made proposals for diversification in these areas. Indeed, the resumes of these dedicated awardees, I feel certain, would attest to some notable successes notwithstanding inadequate support.

But we must now take these pioneering initiatives to a much higher level. To do this we must be much more imaginative, strategic, coordinated and grand, and we must do these on an urgent and sustainable basis, I suggest.

Dr Ronald Ramkissoon economist