The Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers' Association

2 Business View Magazine The Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers’ Association Creating new growth and opportunities for the manufacturing sector The Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers' Association (TTMA) was founded in 1956, by a group of local en- trepreneurs who recognized the need for a unifying or- ganization that would promote the growth and expan- sion of local industry – especially light manufacturing – that was owned and operated by island businesses. For many years, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago did not have a manufacturing sector of any size or sig- nificance. As a British colony, the country merely ex- tracted its raw materials and sold its natural resources to the developed world – primarily to England and the European continent. In the years leading up to its 1962 independence, however, TTMA’s early founders believed that instead of importing all of its manufactured goods, it would be beneficial for the islanders to start making some of these things, themselves. After several decades, their vision has borne fruit. Today, Trinidad and Tobago has the Caribbean region’s largest manufacturing output: almost $8 billion for 2014 - 8.5 percent of the coun- try’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).