Amalgamated, Service Provider of the Year

In a video about the company, Pamela Hosein, Director and Chief Administrative Officer said in addition to the usual security guard services and prisoner transport for which it is well known, the company has a lot of international clients because it does due diligence and background checks for foreign companies which want to invest in Trinidad and Tobago.

It was the second award for the company which earlier won in the Best Use of Innovation in Services for its Geographic Information Systems Unit whose services are used by a variety of local companies.

That award was presented by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Paula Gopee-Scoon to the company’s GIS Co-Ordinator, Shane Ragbir. TTCSI President, Angela Lee Loy presented a Special Recognition Award to Avalon Placide, the widow of the organisation’s first President, Lawrence Placide, who died in October.

In her feature address, Gopee-Scoon said the Central Bank reported that the services sector last year accounted for 52 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and roughly 60 percent of the labour force, adding that while Trinidad and Tobago might be known for its oil and natural gas, it is the energy of its people which is the foundation of the country’s economy.

She said that in the light of falling energy revenues, the TTCSI must redouble its efforts, focusing in particular on maritime and aviation services, the creative industries, financial services and ICT. She said many challenges have to be overcome including market access restrictions, capacity constraints, unreliable and unavailable data and balancing domestic, regional and international requirements and realities. Still, she said a mature and organised services sector offers many opportunities for diversification, enhanced manufacturing capacity, sustained economic growth and increased investment and trade opportunities.

She said while the world’s perception of the Caribbean is one of sun, sea and sand, Trinidad and Tobago and the region must broaden its horizons, rethink what it has to offer to the world and find ways to market these services while seeking new niches in which to focus its efforts.

She suggested the need for the development of outreach programmes designed to encourage overall awareness of the importance of the services sector to the Trinidad and Tobago economy; improvement in the type and quality of services data collected (including labour), that is easily available to both the private and public sectors; and a review and modernisation of the current regulatory system so that it reflects international best practices.

She called for an appraisal and improvement of the standards to which local bodies and services adhere to so that they reflect international best practices; and an assessment of the various impediments to the trade in services by local firms.