press releases

Sagicor has come onboard as one of the sponsors of the 14th edition of the Conference on the Economy (COTE) 2020, hosted by the University of the West Indies’ Department of Economics. The theme “Crisis is Opportunity, COVID-19: The Way Forward” is particularly apt as the news of a vaccine gives governments and business hope that economies will bounce back.

Being held virtually this year via Zoom, the conference takes place from November 25 to 27, 2020 and is used “to engage national, regional and international stakeholders in discussing various themes linked to unique developmental challenges and opportunities experienced by Caribbean economies.”

The three-hour sessions will tackle such topics as the Macroeconomic Profile and Response; Sectors Response to COVID-19; Arts & Culture, Possibilities for Pivoting; and Where Do We Go from Here. A mix of Caribbean academics, policymakers, business owners and entrepreneurs will be examining ways to foster more resilient economies that fund successive generations.

Jacinto Martinez, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Sagicor Life Inc, said, “Sagicor is pleased to support the development of students in understanding how local, regional and global economies work and the role each of us play as individuals in supporting them.”

Dr Daren Conrad, Department Head, Economics, at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus, said, “We weren’t planning to have a COTE this year because of the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic but we received quite a few requests and decided to reimagine the format. The conversations that will be taking place at COTE are meant to be a starting point for us to recognise challenges and harness opportunities.”

The conference usually has an attendance of between 150 and 200 people, but with the online format and sessions that are open to the public, the expectation is that there will be more attendees this year.

Anyone interested in attending the sessions can go to COTE’s website (http://conferences.sta.uwi.edu/cote/index.php) to register.

Head of the Economics department at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus, Dr Daren Conrad, left, receives a cheque from Jacinto Martinez, left, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Sagicor Life Inc, at Sagicor’s Head Office in Port of Spain, on Friday, November 20. Sagicor has joined the Conference on the Economy as a sponsor as academics discuss the ways in which Trinidad and Tobago can reimagine the way forward from the disruption brought on by COVID-19.