Prime Minister Wever-Croes Updates Stakeholders on The National Master Plan

The Master Plan, aptly named “Repositioning Our Sails,” is a 100-page document outlining Aruba’s strategy for economic recovery and future resilience. In reaching a final draft, the Prime Minister has worked with country officials, stakeholder organizations, young professionals, task forces, and involved Parliament.

According to Aruba’s Chief Innovation Officer who led the committee that facilitated the plan, Varelie Croes, this plan’s aspiration is “a successful transition to an economic model that is sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.” The current version of the report is broken up into two sections. The first part lays out a strategic plan and framework. Meanwhile, as Varelie Croes points out, the second part is the “meat” of the project, actionable items to be achieved over the next three years.

The steering committee, which oversees stakeholder communication, data analysis, and project support, looks forward to transitioning from vision to action. According to an independent scientific member of the committee, “the right doses of creativity, courage, commitment, collaboration, and our unique ‘crioyo-ness,’ will make the difference today and for tomorrow…”

During the session, participants asked questions on report specifics, the implementation plan, and financing. Yet, the topic of continuity transcended in the conversation. Prime Minister Wever-Croes emphasized that her cabinet tried to avoid political bias by working with a broad base of Arubans from both the private and public sectors to ensure a bottom-up process. Meanwhile, she strove to keep Parliament involved and informed to ensure political changes would not affect the Master Plan’s completion.

The Government hopes to keep contact with the participants and the community stating: “what is most important right now is to keep the dialogue going. We can do this through virtual town halls and eventually in-person”, said Varelie Croes.

Prime Minister Wever-Croes closed by thanking all the professionals who voluntarily contributed to this process, “We are grateful for your commitment and dedication in these challenging times.” The Government of Aruba aims to have the final document available to the public and available for download by the end of September.