3. The Current State An understanding of St. Lucia’s level of e‐ Readiness provides a solid launch pad for its national ICT plan, and creates a detailed baseline for measuring progress as the national ICT agenda is executed. It is noted that e‐Readiness assessments are generally carried out on a routine basis as a part of the ICT monitoring and reporting process. It is useful as well to review St. Lucia’s performance against other countries which are similar in size and economy or which have attempted to deliver relevant ICT initiatives ‐ that is, ICT Benchmarking. The combination of the as‐ is assessment and the benchmarking analysis allows a determination of the state of readiness of St. Lucia to move forward with its proposed ICT agenda. 2009 BUDGET ADDRESS for the Financial Year 2009/2010 “Generating Growth, Securing Jobs, Promoting Competitiveness and Protecting Vulnerable Citizens in the Face of Global Recession” Economic activity in the member States of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union as a whole slowed, with GDP growth of 1.7 per cent down from 5.2 per cent in 2007. Like most countries in the region, this performance was largely brought about by a fall in tourist arrivals, lower inflows of foreign direct investment and a decline in construction. GDP growth is estimated at 0.7 per cent in 2008 down from 1.5 per cent in 2007. The downturn is associated mainly with a decline in construction and manufacturing, with spill over effects on other sectors such as mining and quarrying, electricity and water and the wholesale and retail trade. The transport, communications and banking and insurance sectors also recorded lower rates of growth. The decline in construction is largely attributable to a fall in foreign direct investment inflows. The tourism sector recovered somewhat in 2008, with growth estimated at 2.2 per cent compared with a decline of 7.4 per cent in 2007. The number of stay‐over and cruise visitors increased by 2.9 per cent and 1.5 per cent respectively. The positive performance of the agriculture sector was one of the highlights of the domestic economy in 2008. Its performance was sustained by strong growth in banana production of 26.5 per cent to 38,360 tonnes after a 10.8 per cent decline in the previous year. Earnings from banana exports to the United Kingdom were also up by 35 per cent to $58.9 million in contrast to a decline in 2007, notwithstanding the depreciation of the pound sterling against the US dollar. Honourable Stephenson King, Prime Minister & Minister for Finance, On Friday April 24, 2009 THE NATIONAL CONTEXT [12]