Comrade Camillo Gonsalves is the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology. He has previously served stints with ministerial responsibility for Foreign Affairs, Trade, Sustainable Development and Labour.
Camillo attended primary school at Petersville Primary School and the Kingstown Preparatory School, before attending the Saint Vincent Boys’ Grammar School. An avid cricketer, Camillo held his place as an opening batsman and legspinner on the Grammar School team for his last three years at the institution.
Camillo then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, USA, where he earned a degree in Journalism. While at Temple University, Camillo co-founded the Student Organization for Caribbean Awareness (SOCA). He went on to the George Washington University Law School in Washington DC, USA, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree, and the Norman Manley Law School in Kingston, Jamaica. Camillo later earned a Master’s Degree in Global Affairs from New York University in New York USA.
Camillo has enjoyed rich professional experience before becoming a parliamentarian. He has worked as a journalist for the Philadelphia Tribune, the oldest continuously published African-American newspaper in the United States, and as a consultant for the America Online “Black Voices” internet publication. A talented graphic designer and page layout artist, Camillo worked for Mosby-Year Book Publishing as a book designer and composition specialist. Camillo also started a reggae magazine, called Reggaematic, which he ran for eight years as a print and online publication.
Camillo worked as an attorney in the United States, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and was called to the Bars of Maryland, the District of Columbia, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. His specialties were commercial and civil rights litigation.
In 2007, Camillo was named Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations, where he played a leading role in the international response to the Global Economic and Financial Crisis of 2008. As Ambassador, Camillo also laid the groundwork for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ subsequent election as a non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council.
Camillo was named as a Senator for the ULP administration in 2013, and was elected to represent the constituency of East Saint George in 2015. He was re-elected in 2020. As the Member of Parliament for East Saint George, Camillo has delivered record levels of investment in the community. He is proud of a number of projects that he has driven over the years, including the Brighton Salt Pond Tourism Site, the Canash Beach clean-up and restoration, the expanded and rebuilt Calliaqua Anglican School, the Calliaqua Town Hall, the Choppins Hard Court, the Shops at Glen, the Temporary Parliament, the Villa Beach Tourism Site, and the expansion and improvement of the Epic Sounds Steel Orchestra.
Camillo has also delivered numerous roads, bridges, boardwalks, bus stops and footpaths constituency-wide, including the Belvedere “Pleasant Flatz” Bridge and approach road, the Brighton road to Salt Pond, the Brighton School Road, the Enhams/Glamorgan road, the Moonshine/Mangoz/Bungalow Road in Villa, the Villa Boardwalk, PAVE Footpaths in Choppins, Glen, and Fairhall, the Fairhall Road and Calliaqua Internal Roads.
As Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Camillo has overseen the highest sustained 4-year period of economic growth, and the highest levels of formal employment in the history of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Camillo’s work with the Ministry of Economic Planning has also produced five consecutive years of record capital expenditure. Camillo oversaw the VEEP and BERRY programmes of post-volcanic eruption and post-Hurricane Beryl support. Camillo also led the implementation of the PRYME programme to assist young entrepreneurs, the ON-SITE programme to provide private sector internships to young Vincentians, and the GYVE programme to support youth volunteerism.
Camillo is particularly proud of the roles that he has played in attracting Sandals and Beaches Resorts to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the construction of the Sir Vincent Beache Athletic Stadium, the Holiday Inn Express and Suites, and his current role as minister in charge of the construction of the Arnos Vale Acute Care Hospital. As a lawmaker, Camillo is similarly proud of his work to remove the obligation of swearing an oath of allegiance to the British Monarch, the ban on the use of Styrofoam in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and piloting a raft of legislation to facilitate digital transformation nationwide.
From his employment as a Senior Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers in 2005, through his diplomatic posting at the United Nations, and his parliamentary responsibilities as a Senator and, later, elected Representative, Camillo has worked for 20 continuous years as a public servant in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Camillo has written a book, called Globalised. Climatised. Stigmatised., that deals with the developmental challenges faced by Small Island Developing States. He is an avid music fan, and continues to drop in at local radio stations to play lengthy sets of reggae music. Camillo stays active playing cricket, and enjoys long mountain hikes. Camillo is married and has two children.
Delivering for East St. George
- Education – Rebuilt Calliaqua Anglican School, boosted scholarships, expanded technical training at Glen and Calliaqua.
- Housing – Led record home repairs and new builds after Beryl, improved materials distribution.
- Sports & Culture – Upgraded hard courts and football fields, added modern lighting, expanded Epic Sounds Steel Orchestra.
- Roads & Infrastructure – Built temporary Parliament, Villa Boardwalk, key roads, bridges, and tourism facilities across Calliaqua and Brighton.
- Jobs & Business – Increased PRYME grants and ON-SITE internships, built shops, and incentivized major investments like Rainforest Seafoods and hotel expansions.
- Environment – Restored Canash Beach, banned sand mining at Brighton Bay, enhanced Salt Pond facilities and road cleaning.
Vision for East St. George
- Youth, Sports & Education – Build Brighton Secondary, expand TVET, upgrade hardcourts and football fields, grow Epic Sounds Steel Orchestra.
- Housing – Construct 100 townhouses, prefab homes for vulnerable families, expand land distribution, complete Beryl house repairs.
- Safety & Security – Rebuild Calliaqua Police Station, add CCTV, improve street and community lighting.
- Roads & Recreation – Build Golden Years Centre, Brighton Bay Park, and improve key roads and bridges in Brighton, Fair Hall, Enhams, and beyond.
- Healthcare – Establish Calliaqua Polyclinic, Enhams Wellness Centre, and Glen Elder Care Facility.
- Jobs & Business – Expand SET and ON-SITE internships, match training to market needs, support youth entrepreneurs, farmers, fishers, and boost construction investments.