Indian-origin economist appointed Trinidad bank governor

Jwala Ramberran, a 45-year-old economist of Indian origin, has been appointed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as the next governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.

Ramberran is the second person of Indian origin to get the nod for this position, the first being Winston Dookeran, who was until last month the minister of finance in the two-year-old People's Partnership government.

Ramberran's forefathers came from India between 1845 and 1917 to work on the sugar and cocoa plantations.

Dookeran served as governor of the Central Bank during the reign of Basdeo Panday during 1995-2001. Panday was the first man of Indian origin to serve as prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago since its independence in 1962. The country's Central Bank became operational in 1964.

Ramberran is a graduate of the Executive and Financial Training Programme at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was also trained at the IMF Institute and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

He has a master's degree in economics. He earlier wantd to study medicine.
Ramberran has pledged to maintain the independence of the Central Bank. He takes up office Monday, and succeeds Ewart Williams.