VI Behind in Strategic Planning
On his ZBVI program Honestly Speaking, Claude O. Skelton-Cline warned the Virgin Islands is "behind the ball" on long-term strategic planning and urged the creation of a 20-year Development Plan to 2045 with five-year implementation increments. He said any plan must be matched by annual budgets and human-resources investment as the territory prepares for economic pressures on tourism and supply chains.
Skelton-Cline has warned that the Virgin Islands is "behind the ball" when it comes to strategic planning and urged leaders to produce a long-term development roadmap that aligns with budget and workforce priorities. Speaking on his radio show Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM on Tuesday, October 4, 2025, Skelton-Cline said the territory needs a Virgin Islands Development Plan 2045 — a 20-year strategy broken into five-year cycles. "Studies show that increments of 5 years are a realistic economic cycle," he said, adding that the plan should prioritise immediate needs and focus first on the initial five-year period.
Skelton-Cline stressed that the pace of current policy and planning is "not ideal" and warned of looming economic impacts on the territory's tourism product and supply chain. He urged elected officials to identify the human and technical resources required, invest in training, and ensure those resources are reflected in annual budgets.
His comments come as Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) presents the 2026 Budget Address during the Twelfth Sitting of the Second Session of the Fifth House of Assembly on November 6, 2025, under the theme "Pillars of Progress – Building a Sustainable Nation." Skelton-Cline urged that any long-term plan must be matched to the budget and human-resources strategy so the first five-year priorities can be implemented without delay.
Without a coherent strategic plan, Skelton-Cline warned, the House of Assembly and elected officials risk becoming "nothing more than talking heads." He said the territory must move beyond rhetoric: "There must be a strategic plan, supported by the resources, both human and financial, reflected in your annual budget..." and added that failing to do so will perpetuate dependence on imported labour while public frustration grows.
For BVI residents, the debate underscores practical questions about workforce development, job training, infrastructure resilience and how government spending will be targeted in the coming years. As the budget is debated, stakeholders should look for whether proposed spending and staffing plans explicitly tie back to measurable five-year priorities, investments in local skills and actions to shore up the tourism sector and supply chains.
Skelton-Cline concluded with a call to action: "We got to stop being spectators, we got to stop being just talking heads, we got to start using ourselves." The coming budget session will be a key test of whether that call translates into concrete planning and resources.
Primary source: VINO