Catherine Morris

Imagine a city that talked to itself. Garbage bins that alert the council when they need to be emptied, road sensors that tell drivers about available parking spots or suggest ways to avoid traffic, digital kiosks that sync with phones to rate nearby restaurants, LED streetlights that brighten when there’s a crowd, and dim if no-one’s around. This futuristic vision has become a reality around the world as population growth and technological advances combine to make cities smarter.

The number of women entrepreneurs in the traditionally male-dominated fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is on the rise throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Attendees at a Sustaining Women in STEM Roundtable, hosted by NASA in November 2019.

The current Coronavirus outbreak has generated a wealth of doomsday headlines and, as the world hovers at the precipice of a global recession, Caribbean economies face a dark future. There are bright spots, however, as tough times foster a spirit of regional cooperation, innovation and resilience. Here, STAR Businessweek presents a balanced view of what likely lies ahead for small island nations and how the region can expect to be transformed by the present crisis.