Antigua & Barbuda is ranked among high human development countries, 74 out of 198 countries, in the latest Human Development report.
The report, which was published on December 9, presents the 2018 Human Development Index or HDI for 189 countries and UN-recognized territories.
According to the report, Antigua & Barbuda has an HDI value of 0.776 which indicates a 0.5% growth since the country was last assessed with an HDI of 0.773.
The report notes that the nation’s HDI is above the average of 0.75 for countries in the high development group and is also above the average of 0.759 for countries in the Latin America and Caribbean.
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Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “It goes without saying that the Afrocentrist cannot function properly as a scientist or humanist if he or she does not adequately locate the phenom in time and space. This means that chronology is as important in some situations as location. The two aspects of analysis are central to any proper understanding of society, history, or personality.” Dr. Molefi Asante on Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change!
Clearly, the 2019 Rankings show that Antigua and Barbuda and CARICOM are growing ever so slowly on the UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Human Development Index! This should be of some cause for concern not only in The Parliaments, Business and Industry, Education and Health Care Sectors but more so by The People and other Publics resident in those Nations and SIDS!
That CARICOM Nations are growing is without question as confirmed by the HDI’s but our leaders and people must be cognizant that others are advancing more quickly and our trajectory is “down the up staircase/elevator” World Rankings! “Everything can be explained to the people, on the single condition that you really want them to understand.” ― Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
The Period 2008 to 2014 was devastating for CARICOM as the Nations struggled to recover from the Global recession of 2008 and more so for Antigua and Barbuda to fly out of the UPP and IMF NEST PLAN of Fiscal Adjustment and Structural Reform! Enter Gaston Browne and his merry band of ABLP in 2014 with plans born of Da Bridge blessed by Da Bust! The period since 2014 has seen an upward development of the Indices! Notwithstanding A&B’s continued Stellar Growth in Tourism, CIP Revenues, Remittances and GNP, it has not been enough to regain its position Ranking since 2005! Again lest others begin crying “woe is me”, CARICOM nations save for Trinidad and Tobago (63) have not fared any better as even the leading Nations of Barbados (56) and the Bahamas (60) have slid further down the World Nations’ Rankings even with increased HDI’s!
This mere voice in the wilderness, since the Global Recession of 2008/09, has urged GoAB of both Houses and Lodges to not only compare development to other CARICOM nations but to look to BEST Practices and Benchmark against the Seychelles (62nd) which has many similar demographics and economics to the Rock! They have climbed steadily, passed A&B, SK&N and TnT and are poised to move ahead of the Bahamas with Barbados on the Horizon! A&B (74) Traded places with SK&N (73)! GRN (78); SLU (89); SVN (94); JAM (96); and DOM (98)!
GoAB is quickly running out of runway on the Ease of Doing Business World Rankings! We have gone from a Best of 33rd under the LB Admin to 112th! This is not to be taken as a criticism, its the proverbial “canary in the coal mine!” For Best Practices and Benchmarks St. Lucia and the Seychelles may prove to be excellent Quality Improvement examples!
“The Afrocentric method considers that no phenomena can be apprehended adequately without locating it first. A phenom must be studied and analyzed in relationship to psychological time and space. It must always be located.” – Dr Molefi Asante!
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