Hon. Minister

Erwin Jay Saunders

Erwin Jay Saunders

Hon. Minister

Erwin Jay Saunders

1st All Island Elected Member

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Minister for Innovation, Technology and Energy

Honorable E. Jay Saunders is the Minister of Innovation, Technology & Energy and the former Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Investment & Trade of the Turks & Caicos Islands.

As the first Minister responsible for innovation and technology, Hon. Saunders is tasked with transforming the Turks and Caicos Islands Government into a 24x7 Government, and helping it improve customer service and become a High-Performance Government. Hon. Saunders’ ministry consists of:

  • The Department of Information, Communications, and E-Government (DICE),

  • Customer & Government Information Services (CGIS),

  • Radio Turks & Caicos (RTC), and

  • The Energy and Utilities Department (EUD).

During Hon. Saunders’ tenure as Minister of Finance, Investment & Trade (August 2021 – March 2024), the Turks & Caicos Islands saw a significant uptick in annual revenues, reaching a record US$413.2 million in financial year 2022/23. This achievement marked the first time the country's revenues surpassed the US$400 million milestone.

Hon. Saunders' impact has also been felt in the health sector. From February 2021 to July 2021, he served as the Minister of Health & Human Services. His leadership was instrumental in the Turks & Caicos Islands Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, active COVID-19 cases fell from over 400 to zero, which led to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) adjusting its risk rating of the islands from level 4 (the highest) to level 1 (the lowest).

Backed by a strong background in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, Hon. Saunders has made substantial contributions in the area of technology. Hon. Saunders is the founder of DSS, the developer of SafetyNet.ai , an AI platform that aids financial organizations in complying with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Client (KYC) rules and regulations.

In 2005, Hon. Saunders co-founded Digicel TCI, a mobile telecommunications company that forms part of Digicel’s network in the Caribbean and South America. As its founding CEO from 2006 – 2014, Hon. Saunders took Digicel TCI from 0% market share to over 50% market share in a 3-player market.