Mr. Timothy Hodge
Over the past several decades, following the Anguilla Revolution, Social Security was launched at the turn of the 1980s by Revolutionary Leader and Father of the Nation, Mr. James Ronald Webster, to assist with the social development of the island and its people.
The system was introduced at a time when economic development and employment, two important pillars of social development, were at a low state but, undeterred, the visionary leader pressed on. The Social Security system steadily grew over the years. Today, the Fund is nearing assets of 400,000 million dollars; pension and varied benefit systems are in place; and there have been investments and contributions in various areas of national life.
While the Social Security system has achieved a very high standard of performance, a move is now underway to transform it to an even more advanced level for generations to come. That desired future state has been outlined on behalf of the Anguilla Social Security Board by its Director, Mr. Timothy Hodge.
Speaking at a formal presentation at the Teachers’ Resource Centre, on Monday, February 4, Mr. Hodge explained: “Our Mission is to transform the quality of life in Anguilla by providing meaningful social security, community empowerment and national development.”
He told the gathering: “It is a six-year Strategic Plan, split into two parts, the first 2019 to 2021 but the overall plan is one of transformation. We are not just calling it strategic change or strategic planning, but are seeking to have a changed transformation. We have ideas, goals and teamwork, including all the stakeholders, and then we will achieve success. That was transformation is. It is going from the current state to an envisaged future state; and our theme for this plan is: ‘Transformational Social Security’ – not just status quo social security, or what was social security. We are looking to be transformational and, if we are to be transformational, we are required to be transformed. The plan is two-fold: internal and external transformation.”
Mr. Hodge continued: “We have come up with a 2025 Vision Statement – the desired future state that the plan speaks of; and the 2025 Vision Statement is that Anguilla had been transformed into a smart, resilient, diversified, healthy, green and inclusive country with universal social security coverage and full employment, enabled by a customer-centric and technological-driven social security system.”
The Social Security Director told the gathering of staff members, representatives from other statutory bodies, Ministries and Departments of Government about the origins of the Strategic Plan. “We had a consultant, Mr. Robert Wynter, from Jamaica, who helped us put together a Strategic Plan – and he came back to help us with our Transformational Plan for our desired future.”
Stressing the outcome of the transformational social security change in Anguilla, Mr. Hodge said: “A transformed Anguilla in 2025 would be smart – that is creating and connecting human capital, social capita and ICT infrastructure, to generate greater and more sustainable development and better quality of life.”
There will be a special presentation of the Social Security Strategic Plan to Executive Council later on, in recognition that the Government of Anguilla is a major stakeholder in the Social Security system.
