Barbados stands at an historic moment.

We think that for decades there has been shortsighted fiscal management, reliance on economic policy that hurts Barbadidans, overreliance on tourism as a direct consequence of what we call agoraphobic political thinking.

Reform Barbados presents a bold and visionary plan to revolutionize our nation's economic future.

We aim to add $1bn of new money to Government revenues within 5 years – AND repeat the process until we exhaust our growth potential.

This is not merely a plan—it’s a comprehensive blueprint for a New Barbados.  A nation where every citizen has a stake in the prosperity we build together.

Imagine a future Barbados; a country where,

• our children are equipped with the skills for the jobs of the next 25 years, not just tomorrow,

• our families are no longer shackled by the costs of simply trying to live,

• a wealth of opportunity flows through every corner of the island.

Reform Barbados will unleash the untapped potential of our people by creating diverse economic engines, empowering local communities, and placing hope and vision in the hearts and minds of the people.

Our National Commitments

Pillars which will support the transformation that will take us beyond mere survival and existence and into sustainable prosperity — ensuring that every Barbadian, no matter their background, can thrive in a country poised to be a global leader in innovation, equality, and growth.

These commitments lay the foundation for a future that harnesses the energy of our people, the resources of our land, and the power of our innovative spirit to build a stronger, fairer Barbados.

We commit to;

• Inclusive Economic Empowerment and Innovation

Objective: Establish a free-market economy, make Tourism 30% of an increased GDP, increase the viability of, or create, new sectors, decrease reliance on Imports and Tourism, reduce income inequality, reduce the cost-of-living

• Social Well-being and Inclusive Growth Potential

Objective: Address income inequality, improve access to opportunities for all, and reduce poverty by enhancing education, job creation, and social support.

• Infrastructure & Environmental Resilience and Sustainable Living

Objective: Invest in modern, resilient infrastructure that supports long-term sustainability, particularly in the face of climate change.

• Governance, Accountability, and Institutional Strengthening

Objective: Strengthen governance frameworks and promote transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the public sector to build trust and credibility.

• Fiscal Responsibility and Financial Reform

Objective: develop a free-market fiscal policy that promotes sustainable growth, reduces public debt, and encourages investment.

• Equity in Education and Lifelong Learning

Objective: this involves Human Capital Development and Workforce Modernization. Develop a highly skilled workforce through doubling investment in education, vocational training, and innovation to drive productivity and competitiveness and ensure our nation’s children and our workforce are equipped to lead local & regional development over the next 30 years.

Our headline Policies and Plans are outlined below.

Together, National Integrity & Civic Excellence means the soul of the nation is rooted in truth, fairness, and responsibility, while the actions of its people reflect unity, discipline, and pride in “doing better at being better" and accountability — that leaders, institutions, and citizens act with transparency and justice in daily life. It means that we, the people, hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, ensuring justice, equity, and trust are never compromised.

REFORM BARBADOS believes that

If we can invest in practical projects and offer practical solutions, whose sole objective is supporting & transforming local living and community spaces & developing our citizens, then we can inspire people to achieve more… to become more.

"No hope is unacceptable"

No dream is unachievable, no vision is unassailable, no hope is unacceptable. If we can't fly then we’ll run, if we can't run then we’ll walk, if we can't walk then we’ll crawl, but whatever we do in Barbados we must keep moving forward and attain that dream.

We believe this vision contains the ingredients for economic and social revival at a community level. For the sake of the future of Barbados, REFORM BARBADOS exists to overturn Visions of Hopelessness, inspire Visions of Opportunity – and CHANGE LIVES!

That's our Dream!

Reform Barbados on Government Spending & Public Sector Reform

For decades, Barbados has suffered from fiscal waste and economic stagnation: 20 years of deficits and 45 years of average GDP growth below 1%. And what do ordinary Barbadians have to show for it? Too little.

We believe the time has come to end the cycle of wastage and put the public’s money to work for the public.

That means:

• Reviewing and repurposing the $800 million government wage bill to deliver value instead of inefficiency.

• Establishing the Barbados Centre of Excellence, which will absorb retrenched workers and put their skills to productive national use.

• Transforming or privatising State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) so that we can recover approximately 30% of the revenue now drained into them.

Our principle is simple: more of Barbadian tax dollars must get back to Barbadians. This is the Reform Barbados plan to restore fairness, end waste, and build prosperity

Local Councils for Civic Engagement

Reform Barbados believes that as a nation we have always been different - caring, passionate about our homeland, polite, law abiding and patient. We believe in National Integrity and Civic Excellence. That is Pillar 1 of our policy eco-system - PRIDE.

This means as Citizens, Employers, & Office holders we must live out those values through active participation. Where we live, work or serve in communities we should do so with pride and honour and with respect for our neighbours, colleagues, the people we serve, our laws and institutions. It means we take pride in building a society that is not just prosperous, but also fair and inclusive, and respectful of every person. No more treatment based on class - which school you attended, which parish you live in or what your surname is.

We will implement significant changes to how we do governance, how we do transparency and how we connect all parishes together.

It is the policy of Reform Barbados to re-instute Local Councils.

They are a vital component of our democracy. It is the deserved right of the people of Barbados to be properly connected to their politicians & government. Separation from the people they elected has caused division and mistrust. We will;

• separate the Ministry of Finance from the Prime Minister's office;

• set up the Office for Regulatory Conduct;

• ensure that NO politician or Senator will serve in Cabinet if they have NOT signed the Integrity Legislation;

• setup the Office for Budget responsibility and Economic Analysis;

• produce a monthly national Scorecard on electronic billboards around the country;

• Every cabinet member will operate under an enforceable agreement that includes the requirement to be present in their constituencies at least 20 hours a month.

Never again will an Auditor General in Barbados say that government accounts are UNRELIABLE. Never again shall the good people of Barbados feel disconnected from those who elected them. We shall campaign on it. So it is written so it shall be done.

Local Connection - National Unity!

Reform Barbados on the Office of Regulatory Responsibility (ORR)

Together, National Integrity & Civic Excellence means the soul of the nation is rooted in truth, fairness, and responsibility, while the actions of its people reflect unity, discipline, and pride in “doing better at being better" and accountability — that leaders, institutions, and citizens act with transparency and justice in daily life. It means that we, the people, hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, ensuring justice, equity, and trust are never compromised.

To that end a Free Market Enterprise economy cannot function without trust, fairness, and accountability. That is why Reform Barbados will re-name, re-purpose & invest in the Fair trading Commission; it shall be known as the Office of Regulatory Responsibility (ORR).

The ORR will ensure that every organisation—public or private—operates with transparency, integrity, and good practice. The people of Barbados deserve no less.

Where sectors self-regulate effectively, the ORR will support. Where they fail, government will legislate. There will be no hiding places for inefficiency, corruption, or abuse.

This office is not bureaucracy—it is the backbone of a fair market system. It is what allows decentralisation to work: by reducing government control, but strengthening independent oversight that protects competition, opportunity, and the public good.

Our principle is simple: freedom without fairness is exploitation. With the ORR, Barbados will have both—a decentralised economy where enterprise thrives, and a regulatory system where integrity prevails.

That’s why the Office of Regulatory Responsibility is critical. It ensures that decentralisation leads to empowerment and opportunity, not exploitation.

“Freedom with fairness - prosperity with responsibility.”

So it is said. So it shall be done.

Reform Barbados on Transforming Governance

the Barbados Centre of Excellence

It is our purpose and our intention to transform how Barbados does governance—to replace inertia with innovation, and politics with performance.

Reform Barbados will establish the Barbados Centre of Excellence (BCE), a new business-model unit at the heart of government designed to deliver results, not rhetoric.

The BCE will operate through two powerful mechanisms:

• LAZARUS — the Policy Unit responsible for research, data, and evidence-based policy design & analysis. Lazarus will breathe new life into public administration through rigorous analysis and measurable goals.

• PETER — Policy Execution, Transformed Experience & Renewal — the engine that drives implementation, ensuring that every policy moves from paper to practice, and from promise to performance.

Together, Lazarus and Peter will end the culture of delay, waste, and poor delivery. They will ensure that your government becomes accountable, efficient, and constantly renewing itself.

On the rock we call Barbados, we will build our nation anew—not as one waiting to develop, but as one that has arrived. We will make Barbados the most self-sufficient and well-governed country in the Caribbean region, and finally shake off the outdated label of “still developing.”

Reform Barbados wants Barbados to be recognised, once and for all, as a developed nation—measured not only by GDP, but by excellence in governance, performance, and people.

Barbados - The Word on Everybody's lips

Reform Barbados on Fiscal Responsibility & the OBR&EA

There should always be transparent separation between the Ministry of Finance and the office of the a Prime Minister.

We shall take politics out of Policy

The Ministry of Finance should never be in the sole control of any Prime Minister. We believe that, for too long, fiscal policy has been shaped by political expediency instead of national interest.

Reform Barbados will establish the Office for Budget Responsibility & Economic Analysis (OBR&EA)—a dynamic public sector firewall between decision makers and the nation’s finances.

The OBR&EA will:

• Be led jointly by an independent Accountant and Economist, ensuring balance between fiscal discipline and economic vision;

• Provide expert, evidence-based advice to Government on fiscal, economic, and monetary policy;

• Serve as an integral source of data and analysis for the Public Accounts Committee, strengthening parliamentary oversight;

• Deliver real-time data for real-time decision making, making government policy responsive, reliable, and accountable;

• Publish a quarterly national economic scorecard on public billboards, so that every Barbadian can see how the economy is really performing, in plain sight and without spin.

Decision-making will remain with elected leaders—but guided by transparent, independent expertise

And because fiscal responsibility is too important to be left to chance, Reform Barbados will campaign to enshrine the OBR&EA in the Constitution.

This is how we safeguard the people’s money, restore trust, and ensure that every dollar spent serves the national good.

ACTIVE TRUST ¦ VISIBLE INTEGRITY ¦ OBVIOUS TRANSPARENCY

YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK - I PROMISE!

Reform Barbados on Industrial Growth and Economic Strength

Bajans building Barbados - a future crafted by our own hands!

In 1966 we became independent; but only politically. We have not realised true economic independence. For around 5 decades Barbados has grown at an average rate of 1% per year. The Central Bank projects 2.7% growth, and we are told we are doing well — but in truth, that is not success. Not only is it decline on previous years but it's GDP growth with an illusion of progress.

Many Barbadians are not doing well. The cost of living is intolerable, wages have stagnated, and opportunity has narrowed, whilst the gap between rich and poor grows and the middle class disappears. After six decades of independence, our people remain slavery of a different kind: economic slavery.

To combat that, Reform Barbados believes we need a robust Industrial Policy — a strategic plan to create new industries, higher wages, and shared prosperity - to create real growth.

Reform Barbados will

• truly diversify the economy; by expanding eight priority sectors: agriculture, renewable energy, digital innovation, creative industries, logistics and light manufacturing, tourism 2.0, the blue economy, and health and education services.

• grow tourism; not by building more hotels and watching that money leave our shores, but by increasing the opportunities to spend money here! Whilst at the same time ensuring it becomes a smaller part of GDP while other sectors grow stronger.

• link industrial growth to education and training through Skills Gap 2050, ensuring that our entire education system produces a workforce that is productive, innovative, and globally competitive.

• leverage the CARICOM Free Movement of People to attract skilled labour, regional partnerships, and export opportunities — creating a truly Caribbean market for Barbadian innovation and enterprise.

• support local business, SMEs, and new investors with fair regulation, reliable energy, affordable logistics, and modern infrastructure to stimulate local production and reduce import dependency.

• replace inefficiency with innovation and waste with productivity, rewarding the industries and entrepreneurs that drive real growth and value.

This is not the same old playbook. It is a modern Industrial Policy designed to make Barbados competitive, truly self-sufficient, and econimically resilient.

Growth — the Pathway to Wealth Creation… for Everybody.

Reform Barbados on Ending the Tax-and-Spend Trap

For over 60 years, Barbados has been governed by the same failed formula: tax and spend. It is a shortsighted policy that has held back generations. Like our forefathers who were denied the chance to advance, today’s working people are trapped in ECONOMIC SLAVERY:

• 75% of taxpayers earn less than $1,000 per week.

• Yet this group provides almost two-thirds of all income tax revenues.

• Inequality is widening, and low- and middle-income Barbadians cannot progress.

This must stop. Under Reform Barbados, it will stop. We will replace the old model with a Free Market Enterprise economy—driven by Decentralisation and underpinned by smart, independent Regulation.

• Decentralisation means reducing government overreach and empowering local communities, entrepreneurs, and private businesses to innovate and grow.

• Regulation means creating fair, transparent oversight through independent bodies—so markets are free but not lawless, and opportunity is protected for all.

This new approach will:

• Deliver greater equality through opportunity, not dependency.

• Encourage more businesses and entrepreneurs, building true wealth creation.

• Diversify our economy so that no single sector holds us hostage.

• Create more jobs and better wages, anchored in productivity and growth.

Our commitment is clear: no more tax-and-spend stagnation. Not under our watch. Barbados will rise through decentralisation, regulation, and enterprise—so every Barbadian can advance

“Power to the people, fairness in the market, growth for the nation.”

Reform Barbados on Industrial Policy: Pride & Industry in Action

For too long, Barbados has lived in the shadow of dependency — importing more than it produces, borrowing more than it earns, and consuming more than it creates.

Reform Barbados will reverse that story.

Our Industrial Policy is the backbone of national transformation — the living expression of our motto, Pride and Industry. It is how we will turn Barbadian skill, creativity, and resilience into real economic power.

We will diversify our economy, expanding production across agriculture, manufacturing, digital technology, creative industries, and renewable energy. Through Apprenticeship 1828, the Caribbean Academy of Applied Digital Knowledge (CAADK), and the Entrepreneur Business Unit, we will rebuild our national skills base and empower citizens to own and grow the next wave of Barbadian enterprise.

We will invest in the Sargassum Project - a new industry which will transform an environmental threat into an economic opportunity, creating new marine and bio-industries.

The Barbados Centre of Excellence—will ensure that industrial policy is designed with data, delivered with discipline, and measured by results.

This is the foundation of our Free Market Enterprise economy: decentralised, regulated, and driven by Barbadian innovation.It is how we will raise productivity, reduce import dependency, and build a self-sufficient Barbados that competes — and wins — on the world stage.

Industry is Independence. Pride and Industry must no longer be a motto — it must be a mission.

Reform Barbados on Enterprise & New Business Creation

Barbados cannot thrive without entrepreneurs. Yet today, the costs and red tape of starting a business hold too many back. Reform Barbados will change that by making it easier, cheaper, and faster to build new businesses.

Our plan is bold:

• Strip away the costs of business registration so no aspiring entrepreneur is blocked at the first step;

• A registered standard limited company will be delivered to all participants;

• Invest $200 million over five years to establish 50 new small businesses, designed to be transitioned into private ownership. These will be given back to Barbadians, creating new opportunities for growth, innovation, and wealth creation.

• Provide mentorship and training across five core business modules—finance, marketing, operations, digital, and governance—ensuring every entrepreneur has the tools to succeed.

• Keep training costs affordable: a one-time capped fee of $1,800, including registration, so investment in knowledge is never out of reach.

This is about more than start-ups—it’s about changing the culture of business in Barbados. It’s about giving citizens ownership, independence, and pride in building something of their own.

Reform Barbados will unleash entrepreneurship as the driver of jobs, innovation, and prosperity—by Barbadians, for Barbadians.

Agriculture & Food Security

Of all our essential sectors, agriculture is the most neglected—with barely 3,000 workers striving to feed an entire nation. This must change.

Reform Barbados will invest in a new agricultural revolution, ensuring Barbadians can eat what Barbadians grow. Our plan includes:

• invest heavily in producing more of what we import, reducing dependency and saving foreign exchange;

• Linking agricultural technology and learning to specialist schools, inspiring a new generation of farmers, innovators, and agri-entrepreneurs;

• Creating opportunities for landowners to grow crops for resale and contribute to food security;

• Improving local food quality and standards, so local produce matches or exceeds imported goods;

• Researching a national network of vendors who stock only locally grown produce;

• Investing in livestock and dairy development, so Barbados never faces shortages on its shelves.

Our vision is clear:

we believe in Growth; freedom through productivity -

national effort equals national wealth.

Reform Barbados on Nation Building & the Diaspora

Nation building is not confined by borders. Our Diaspora are part of our national family—and we believe Barbadians abroad love their country as deeply as those who live here. Reform Barbados will ensure they are not only connected by birth, but by opportunity, investment, and belonging.

We will establish a Diaspora Engagement Office to create a single point of management that embraces diasporic aspirations and opportunities, including relocation for work, investment, and skills transfer.

Our plan includes:

• Duty-free concessions on up to three shipping transits within two years to ease the return home.

• A framework for skills-sharing, allowing Barbadians abroad to contribute directly to a new national vision.

• Offering the Diaspora Bond—a government-backed investment vehicle for Barbadians worldwide to securely invest in national development.

• Establishing a Diaspora Economic Strategy Unit, making the Diaspora a full strategic partner in economic growth.

• Researching secure voting mechanisms, to give every Barbadian abroad a voice in shaping their nation’s future.

For us, the message is simple:

the Diaspora are valuable to Barbados whether they live here or not.

Nation building must include them. Nation building must welcome them home.

Reform Barbados on Tourism & Entertainment Cities

For too long, the complaint has been the same: tourists come to Barbados but do not spend enough in Barbados. Reform Barbados will change that by building two Entertainment Cities—one in the north and one in the south.

These vibrant hubs will be dynamic, money-spending environments where tourists and Barbadians alike can enjoy family-friendly attractions. Inspired by smaller versions of Alton Towers (without the corkscrew rides) and the energy of the Hollywood Bowl, they will provide leisure, culture, and entertainment of an international standard.

But this is more than tourism. Our vision is to:

• Boost tourism revenues by giving visitors more reasons to spend;

• Create jobs and new opportunities by inviting local vendors to tender for plots;

• Strengthen local businesses through direct investment in entertainment and culture;

• Diversify our economy so that while tourism grows, it represents a smaller share of our GDP pie, reducing national risk and dependency.

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This is the balance Barbados needs: a thriving tourism sector that serves Barbadians—without Barbadians being held hostage to tourism.

Entertainment Cities will put new life into tourism. And money...?

... Yes, directly into the hands of Barbadians.

Reform Barbados on the $1 Billion Plan

For 6 decades Barbados has been trapped in a tax-and-spend economy—a system that has fostered a climate of dependency but failed to deliver true prosperity. Successive governments borrow to live - our people do the same. National incomes have stagnated while government spending continues to outstrip earnings by an average of 25% annually.

Reform Barbados will break that cycle. Our bold vision is to raise $1 billion in new annual government revenue within five years—while reducing the cost of living for every Barbadian.

This is about cutting waste, transforming state enterprises, repurposing the $800 million wage bill, and unleashing a Free Market economy that rewards work, innovation, and enterprise.

The $1 Billion Plan will:

• Lower the cost of living through smarter taxation, permanently reducing or removing tariffs on a significant package of essential goods, and demanding greater efficiency in government spending;

• Create a vibrant jobs market by investing in new industries, apprenticeships, and entrepreneurship;

• Reduce inequality by giving low and middle-income Barbadians real opportunities to advance and prosper;

• Fund national transformation—building modern schools, revitalising agriculture, expanding tourism, and establishing global Centres of Excellence in Digital Innovation and Music.

Our target is clear and uncompromising: raise government revenues by $1 billion in each parliamentary term—and in doing so, create a self-sufficient, prosperous Barbados, no longer dependent on the IMF, foreign aid, or external powers.

The $1 Billion Plan is not merely a fiscal strategy. It is a Cost-of-Living Plan. A Jobs Plan. A Fairness Plan.

It is the blueprint for a new economic independence—and the foundation upon which we will build the Barbados our people truly deserve.

Raising Revenue. Reducing Dependence. Rebuilding Barbados.

Do you know where this problem begins and ends?

After an examination of the events of 1973 & 1993 we believe Barbados has been dealt a bad hand. This was when Caricom and the Common External Tariff was conceived and implemented.

Barbados is bound in to higher prices precisely because our biggest trading partners are outside of CC and were so at the time the decisions were made - yet - someone decided that we should signup to the CET, an agreement which imposes tariffs on imports from outside the CC region which seriously militates against Barbadians....

... on top of which we pay VAT and that's not to mention the circa $560 - $860m in Customs and Excise waivers - given away to who knows who, for who knows what, and yet, we the people don't get a (s)cent of relief.

Reform Barbados on the Cost of Living & Fair Taxation

Growth — The Pathway to Wealth Creation

Today, 75% of Barbadian taxpayers earn less than $1,000 per week, 39% of those don't pay any tax because they don't earn more than $25k per year. They may be in receipt of the National Minimum Wage of $10.50 per hour.

Do you know what that means? For them it means...

one hour of hard work leaves only small change after buying a carton of milk.

The imposition of tariffs on Barbadians is largely a pure revenue generating philosophy. The normal purpose for tariffs is to protect local businesses from foreign competition. We have to import everything we need to live and survive. We have no choice. But because no government has implemented new revenue generating industries - they have consistently thought taxing working class Bajans was the easiest solution inowing we are trapped.

We live to survive. This is the reality we must change.

Reform Barbados will replace short-term relief with phased, permanent reforms — to lower the cost of living, make life affordable, and strengthen the economy without weakening the Treasury.

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The objective of this plan is to permanently reduce the cost of everyday consumer goods – groceries, household items, restaurant food, hardware supplies (excluding cars and other luxuries) – by rebating import duties on these essentials.

At the same time, we must maintain fiscal stability by replacing the lost revenue through other means.

This plan outlines a credible, risk-managed strategy to remove import tariffs (worth $459M) and immediately ease living costs, while offsetting the revenue loss via progressive taxes, public sector savings, and economic growth. The approach aligns with the government’s broader goal of transitioning to a free-market economy (FME) that stimulates wealth creation – i.e. it emphasizes equity, efficiency, and sustainable growth.

Reform Barbados will

• through the Import Duty Rebate Scheme, (IDReS) implement a phased programme of long-term reforms to permanently reduce living costs while protecting fiscal balance.

• gradually lower and permanently protect tariffs on a ring-fenced basket of essentials — including food staples, medicines, baby products, utilities, and school supplies, & more — under a Permanent Essentials Order reviewed every five years;

• establish an Independent Price & Competition Panel to guide phased price controls and ensure full transparency to stop profiteering and unfair mark-ups;

• create a National Warehousing & Supply Hub through a Public–Private Partnership, to bulk-purchase imports, stabilise supply chains, and pass on savings to vendors and consumers;

• shift the tax burden off essentials and onto excess, combining reduced indirect taxes with progressive levies on high earners and large corporations;

• replace the $459 million in lost duties through SOE reform, public wage-bill efficiencies, sectoral growth, and phased progressive taxation — ensuring fiscal stability and accountability.

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Reform Barbados believes Barbadians should not be taxed into poverty. What government once took through duties, we will replace with growth — delivered in phases, protected in law, and sustained for generations.

This is not a quick fix.

This is phased, permanent, data-driven structural reform — built on the foundation of fairness, opportunity, and national prosperity.

FAIR TAXATION ¦ FAIR PRICES ¦ FAIR OUTCOMES

Reform Barbados Vision for Educational Transformation

We believe in true equality of opportunity in education. We don't believe the Common Entrance Exam (CEE) achieves this—it divides children instead of empowering them. Our transformation begins with one simple principle: every child deserves the same high standard of teaching, learning, and infrastructure, no matter which school they attend.

That means a school estate built on identical standards, equipped with the same modern resources, and tailored to the requirements of 21st-century learning.

In our vision, every school will have a Special Educational Needs (SEN) specialist—without exception. Unless a child’s unique circumstances demand otherwise, our policy is inclusion: students with SEN should learn in our mainstream schools, supported with the right expertise and resources.

We believe in Zoning—because parents should not face the impossible task of juggling children across multiple schools. A reformed system must make life easier for families, not harder.

We believe the National Curriculum should be designed for the nation’s future, but delivered by empowered school leaders—not by central government micromanagement. School leadership must have the autonomy to shape teaching and learning within that framework, ensuring that education is both nationally consistent and locally responsive.

This is how Reform Barbados will transform education: one standard, one system, one future—for every child.

No child should be left behind - no child will be!

Reform Barbados — Skills Gap 2050: To Infinity & Beyond

Skills for now. Skills for life.

We believe, as Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

For decades, education has been treated as a phase of life — not a lifelong journey. Reform Barbados believes that to build a modern, self-sufficient nation, education must evolve from schooling to skill-building — for everyone, at every age, in every community.

Skills Gap 2050 is the national framework that unites every education policy under one vision: skills for now, skills for life. It addresses the full spectrum of human development — from early learning to adult education — and ensures every Barbadian has the opportunity to learn, grow, and prosper in the new economy.

Reform Barbados work in partnership with the Barbados Community College (BCC), Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI), and the University of the West Indies (UWI) — aligning education, innovation, and industry to build a workforce ready for 2050 and beyond.

Reform Barbados will

• transform the education system into a skills ecosystem that nurtures creativity, innovation, enterprise, and inclusion.

• modernise learning across all levels — embedding digital skills, financial literacy, vocational training, and entrepreneurship into the core curriculum.

• deliver a seamless transition from school to work through Apprenticeship 1828, ensuring every school-leaver has a pathway: a job, higher education, or an apprenticeship.

• build the Caribbean Academy of Applied Digital Knowledge (CAADK) — a national and regional centre of excellence driving digital skills, research, and innovation for the next 30 years.

• establish the Barbados International School of Music — developing creative and technical talent in performance, composition, sound engineering, and cultural enterprise.

• embed Special Educational Needs (SEN) capability in every school, ensuring no child is left behind and all learners are supported to succeed.

• launch the Entrepreneur Business Unit, providing business training, mentoring, and startup support so that Barbadians can build and own their own enterprises, undergirding a robust Industrial Policy.

• invest in Teacher Training, raising professional standards through continuous development and certification.

• reimagine schools as community learning hubs, open beyond the school day, providing access to Adult Education, digital literacy programmes, and technical retraining for mature learners.

  
  

This is not just an education plan — it is a national development strategy. Reform Barbados believes that when we invest in our people, we invest in our future.

Skills Gap 2050 is the unfinished work of independence. This is the Barbados we will build together.

Skills Gap 2050 — To Infinity & Beyond

Reform Barbados believes in Apprenticeships—because every Barbadian deserves a pathway to success.

When a child graduates from school, when a worker has lost their job, when a worker wants a career change there should be three doors open before them:

A Job - Further or Higher Education - An Apprenticeship—with a stipend.

We will implement apprenticeships across the island, tailored to the real skills Barbados needs—in every sector whether in agriculture, construction, digital, tourism, renewable energy, or the creative industries.

This is more than training; it is a national mission to:

• Upgrade our skills base.

• Create meaningful jobs.

• Incentivise youth into gainful employment.

Under Reform Barbados, a life on the block will no longer be normal. Instead, young people, in particular, will be given the tools, the income, and the dignity to build their own future—and, in doing so, to build Barbados.

We will work with the BDF, BCC and SJPI to fashion a framework of responsibility to enable this to be delivered to the nation.

The Caribbean Centre of Applied Digital Knowledge (CAADK)

In honour of Alan Emtage — Barbadian innovation shaping the world.

In recognition of Alan Emtage, the Barbadian pioneer who created the world’s first search engine, Reform Barbados will establish the Caribbean Centre of Applied Digital Knowledge (CAADK) — a national and international hub for digital education, training, research, and innovation.

CAADK will be more than a school; it will be the engine of Barbados’ digital transformation — a cornerstone of our Industrial Policy and a catalyst for new industries, new jobs, and new global opportunity.

Reform Barbados will ensure CAADK delivers:

• Linking digital education and professional training at every level — from primary school to postgraduate, from technician to entrepreneur.

• Integration with Apprenticeship 1828 and Skills Gap 2050, ensuring every learner has a pathway to work, enterprise, or research.

• Partnerships with UWI, BCC, SJPI, and global technology firms to deliver accredited programmes and collaborative research.

• A national digital curriculum that embeds coding, AI literacy, robotics, data science, and cybersecurity into mainstream education.

• An innovation district — a physical and virtual campus linking startups, investors, and research institutions to the digital economy.

Reform Barbados will link CAADK to the broader industrial ecosystem, connecting it to our Entertainment Cities, Entrepreneur Business Unit, and renewable energy grid — driving innovation across creative, service, and manufacturing sectors.

CAADK will also serve as a regional anchor — leveraging CARICOM Free Movement to attract students, professionals, and investment across the Caribbean. It will invite the Barbadian diaspora to contribute skills, mentorship, and digital capital, ensuring Barbados leads the region’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy.

Governed autonomously but accountable to the public through the Barbados Centre of Excellence, CAADK will operate with transparency, agility, and a mandate for measurable outcomes — including employment creation, exportable services, and digital inclusion.

Through world-class education and applied digital research, Reform Barbados will:

• Position Barbados as a regional leader in digital knowledge and enterprise.

• Establish the island as an international force in IT and business innovation.

• Anchor the national economy in the creativity, skills, and ingenuity of its people.

Reform Barbados believes the future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and code it — and CAADK will ensure Barbados is one of those nations.

Reform Barbados Master Plan: Transport & Travel Modernisation

Barbados is paralysed by inefficiency on its roads.Poorly regulated public transport, reckless driving, endless congestion, and wasted hours have eroded national productivity and patience alike. Reform Barbados will rebuild the nation’s transport system from the ground up — restoring order, safety, and reliability.

1. The Public Transport Reset

A National Transport Authority will be established to coordinate, regulate, and modernise all public transport operations.

• All ZR vans, minibuses, and government buses must be registered, licensed, and fitted with government-approved GPS tracking devices installed by the Authority itself.

• Vehicles not fitted will be non-compliant and subject to impoundment.

• Real-time route compliance will be monitored through a central geospatial Transport Hub, enabling inspectors to track routes, timing, and behaviour.

• No Public Officer will be permitted to own and run or in any way be invovled with a public transport vehicle.

2. The Compliance & Enforcement Framework

• A corps of Transport Inspectors will police the roads, empowered to stop, inspect, fine, and detain vehicles in breach of regulations.

• A digital tachograph system will log driving hours, speed, and route adherence, protecting both passengers and operators from abuse or fatigue.

• The Passenger Feedback App will give commuters power to report misconduct instantly.

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  • If loud or offensive music is played, the app will automatically record the audio, lock GPS location, and flag the bus ID to the monitoring hub.

  • Verified incidents will trigger enforcement action.

    
    

3. The School & Work Connection

• A new School Bus Network will be introduced to guarantee safe and punctual travel for students.

• Workplace and school schedules will be synchronised — schools starting slightly earlier, finishing slightly later — to reduce congestion during rush hours.

  
  

4. Infrastructure & Efficiency

• Designate bus priority lanes along major arteries.

• Introduce smart traffic systems using sensors and AI for traffic flow optimisation.

• Encourage electric or hybrid buses to lower emissions and reduce costs.

5. The Goal

To create a transport system that is disciplined, punctual, safe, and data-driven — one that respects passengers, enforces compliance, and restores dignity to everyday travel.

This is not about punishing ZR culture — it is about professionalising it, turning chaos into a culture of reliability and respect.

A Reformed Barbados — A Nation on Time

Reform Barbados on the CET and Tariff Reform

Today, that structure inflates the price of almost every imported good — from food and building materials to clothing and home essentials. Combined with VAT layering, it has made Barbados one of the most expensive countries in the Caribbean to live and do business.

Reform Barbados believes that no treaty should be allowed to trap a nation in permanent dependency. Our first duty is to Barbadians, not bureaucracy.

"The CET has served its time. It is time for Barbados to serve its people"

As a direct result of the CET, approximately $505m in Customs & Excise duty is paid by Barbadian consumers annually. That's our economic reality. We will change that to rebuild fairness, ensuring that the protection of regional industries does not come at the expense of national wellbeing.

Reform Barbados will:

• Eliminate or reduce import duties and excise taxes at source on a defined basket of essential goods.

• Apply the rebate automatically, so the trader never pays in, and the consumer benefits immediately at the till.

• Reduce price inflation while preserving customs transparency and fiscal accountability.

• Simplify trade administration, cutting delays and paperwork for importers.

This reform will lower the cost of living, improve business competitiveness, and inject new energy into local commerce. It will also support domestic producers by freeing up spending power in the economy — allowing Barbadians to buy more, save more, and invest more.

Reform Barbados is not breaking regional unity — we are redefining it. We stand for a fair CARICOM, where every member state has the freedom to protect its own people FIRST.

“No treaty should cost a Barbadian their future.”