PM says no to international grants

The Prime Minister has reiterated that this country will not accept international grants to alleviate the costs of hosting Venezuelans unless the terms are in TT’s favour.

“If there are proper arrangements, particularly through the UN for dealing with people who are displaced in this way without strings … we will consider them. But those who come running with grants so as to encourage us to run refugee camps in TT the answer is thanks but no thanks,” Dr Rowley said at the post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s. He said some of the people offering grants had agendas that did not align with TT.

“There are grants and there are grants. As Prime Minister of TT I can tell you that a lot of the people talking around this Venezuelan issue, they have agendas and some of those agendas come in the form of grants. Their agendas are not our agenda. So they and their grants have been turned down,” he said.

Last week, Central Bank Governor Alvin Hillaire had suggested that the country could tap into various grants offered by entities like the World Bank or the Inter-American Development Bank, at no cost to the country.

The bank had estimated that the impact of hosting displaced Venezuelans in TT could cost the country $620 million annually. Finance Minister Colm Imbert rejected the assessment, saying it was unscientific.