The Honourable Saddam Hosein, Minister of Land and Legal Affairs and Minister in the Ministry
of Agriculture and Fisheries, chaired a critical meeting today at Government Plaza to spearhead
the modernisation of the national construction and development approval framework. The
initiative aims to enhance the ease of doing business in Trinidad and Tobago and simplify the
approval experience for all citizens.
The Government has established a target to ensure all statutory approvals are achieved within 45
days. To realise this, the Ministers and their respective technical teams from the Town and Country
Planning Division (TCPD), Environmental Management Authority (EMA), Water and Sewerage
Authority (WASA), and the Drainage Division discussed several transformative strategies.
In attendance and full participation at this session were Senator Dr. the Honourable Kennedy
Swaratsingh, Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development; the Honourable Jearlean
John, Minister of Works and Infrastructure; and the Honourable Khadijah Ameen, Minister of
Rural Development and Local Government. These ministerial teams have committed to meeting
regularly to continue streamlining processes, ensuring that the transition to a modernised digital
platform delivers the full benefits of efficiency, accountability, and transparency to the public.
“We are committed to eliminating the circular bureaucratic hurdles that have historically hindered
development,” stated Minister Hosein. “By unifying our national standards and fully leveraging
the DevelopTT platform, we are building a transparent and reliable system that drives economic
expansion while helping every citizen and developer turn their vision into reality”.
While the Government has already agreed to remove the County Medical Officer of Health
(CMOH) from the routine building approval process, it is currently exploring other bottlenecks to
eliminate the issues that frequently cause unnecessary delays.
