Suriname

TotalEnergies keeps Maersk drillship for one more well

Maersk Valiant will remain in Block 58 until about the end of this year, but the supermajor could still extend its charter

16 June 2022 By Iain Esau in London

TotalEnergies paid $24.3 million to Maersk Drilling to keep one of the contractor’s drillships operating offshore Suriname until about the end of this year. In January 2021, Maersk signed a contract worth about $100 million to deploy the Valiant and the drillship Maersk Developer in Suriname, starting in March that year, as it advanced with a multi-well exploration and appraisal programme.

The French supermajor has exercised an option for the Maersk Valiant to drill an additional well in Block 58, with the contract extension having an estimated duration of 100 days. Extra work: means drillship Maersk Valiant will now remain in Suriname until the end of 2022.

 

Noble drillship strikes water-bearing reservoirs on Block 53

June 13, 2022, by Nermina Kulovic

Houston-based APA Corporation reported results from drilling operations on Suriname Block 53. APA Suriname, the operator, holds a 45 per cent working interest in the block, with Petronas holding a 30 per cent working interest and CEPSA holding a 25 per cent working interest.

APA Corporation encountered water-bearing reservoirs at its latest exploration well offshore and is now mobilising to drill its next well in the same block. APA completed operations on the Rasper well in the northwestern area of the block. The well encountered water-bearing reservoirs in the Campanian – Santonian intervals. Evaluation of the open hole well logs and formation and reservoir fluid samples continues.

The Noble Gerry de Souza drillship will be mobilising to the next exploration prospect, Baja, in the southwestern corner of Block 53. Baja lies approximately 11 kilometres northeast of the recently announced Block 58 discovery at Krabdagu and will test Maastrichtian and Campanian targets. This block is operated by TotalEnergies while APA Corp. is a partner.

 

 

CSA Ocean Sciences concludes environmental assessment

5/31/2022

CSA Ocean Sciences Inc., an international marine environmental consulting and survey company, announced the conclusion of an Environmental Assessment Program (EAP) for a major offshore energy operator in Block 58, a 5,841 km2 area approximately 115 km (71 mi) offshore north Suriname.  The EAP included an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for a three-dimensional (3D) seismic survey proposed in Block 58.

CSA’s local Trinidad & Tobago personnel coordinated public consultation meetings, social baseline surveys, specialized supportive studies, and workshops to further inform the ESIA. Environmental and social impacts from seismic activities using OBN and/or 3D streamer technology were assessed from a risk-based perspective, prior to and after implementation of mitigation measures to determine acceptability of residual risk. This assessment was conducted in collaboration with consultants and the operator via a Risk Assessment (RA) Workshop led by CSA subject matter experts.

“This ESIA required us to evaluate the potential impacts of a seismic survey campaign, both positive and negative, considering the use of streamer and OBN seismic techniques,” said Candice Leung Chee, Chief Executive Officer, CSA Trinidad. “Adding further complexity to the ESIA was the need to conduct acoustic modelling to assess the potential noise impacts on various groupings of mammals, before formulating appropriate mitigation measures to safeguard local populations. The ESIA also evaluated findings from a novel turtle density modelling study conducted off the Suriname coast, which further supported an assessment of potential impacts on various groups of sea turtles during and outside the nesting season.”

The ESIA was submitted to the National Institute for Environment and Development in Suriname (NIMOS) as part of the Environmental Assessment process for the oil and gas sector, adding to CSA’s regional experience delivering high quality ESIAs.

CSA has 52 years’ experience of preparing and conducting ESIAs in the region and around the globe for offshore developers.

Suriname:

Technical Assistance Report on Government Finance Statistics Mission (December 6-17, 2021)

Publication Date:June 7, 2022

Electronic Access:Free Download. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file

Summary:At the request of the Suriname authorities, a remote technical assistance (TA) mission took place during December 6–17, 2021.

The mission was conducted in coordination with the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department. The main objective of the mission was to assist the Ministry of Finance and Planning (MFP) and the Central Bank of Suriname (CBS) to improve the quality of the Government Finance Statistics (GFS) in view of the IMF program.

The main tasks were to (i) conduct a diagnostic assessment of the current GFS and public debt compilation process,(ii) explain and reduce statistical discrepancies, (iii) analyze data on arrears and reassess their treatment in GFS, (iv) review the integration of stocks and flows of the gross debt; and (v) update the public sector institutional table, and (vi) deliver a workshop on GFSM 2014 framework and (PSDS).Series:

Country Report No. 2022/160

IMF

Kingdom of the Netherlands – Curaçao and the Monetary Union of Curaçao and Sint Maarten: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2022 Article IV Mission

June 7, 2022

A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.

The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.

Washington, DC:     Curaçao is recovering from the pandemic but faces multiple challenges, including strong inflation pressures stemming from the war in Ukraine.

Policies need to be calibrated to support the inclusive recovery while achieving sustainability. Implementing the structural agenda embodied in the country package (landspakket) would be key for addressing many of long-standing structural challenges. Prioritization in line with capacity will be key for achieving the objectives.

Curaçao        Context and recent developments

Curaçao is recovering from the pandemic while facing inflation pressures fueled by the war in Ukraine. Following a protracted recession, positive growth is estimated to have returned at 4 percent in 2021, supported by a strong recovery in stayover tourism in the last quarter of 2021.

1. Relatively high vaccination rates helped to soften the economic consequences from the wave of Covid-19 in early 2022. Stayover arrivals in April exceeded pre-pandemic levels, suggesting no long-term scarring from the pandemic or the war in Ukraine.
2. Formal private sector employment declined in 2021, in part driven by supply-side factors and emigration, although there was some nascent positive dynamics in the second half of the year.
3. Inflation increased to 3.8 percent in 2021 and likely accelerated further in 2022.

Outlook and risks

Growth is likely to strengthen this year, although the outlook is clouded by the war in Ukraine.

Continued recovery in the hospitality sector in conjunction with higher private investment and favorable employment dynamics this year would support growth of about 6.5 percent.

Higher import prices, in particular in fuel and food categories, are projected to push inflation to 6.8 percent in 2022, significantly higher than expected. This could disproportionally affect the vulnerable groups not covered by the existing social safety net and create a drag on the recovery as it erodes disposable income and increases costs of doing business.

1. The outlook is subject to significant uncertainty and risks. A protracted war in Ukraine could keep energy and food prices elevated for an extended period, slowing growth and eroding purchasing power. Further supply chain disruptions and commodity price shocks could delay the recovery in investment.
2. Policies included in the draft 2022 Budget Amendment imply strong fiscal consolidation in 2022-23.
3. Tight wage policies, in combination with stronger-than-expected inflation, will lead to significant reduction in labor compensation in real terms and support an adjustment of the overall fiscal deficit from 6 percent in 2021 to 0.9 percent in 2023. This adjustment, in combination with the recovery, would contribute to a reduction of public debt from about 90 percent of GDP in 2021 to about 76 percent of GDP next year.
4. Calibrating fiscal policy to foster recovery while achieving sustainability
5. Fiscal policies need better calibration to improve the quality of consolidation and avoid negative effects on growth.
6. Budgeting adequate resources for structural reform implementation, protection of the vulnerable, and other critical areas will be key for improving quality of adjustment.
7. Raising public investment from the currently low levels would increase employment, incentivize private investment, and support broad-based economic recovery and potential growth. A somewhat more gradual fiscal adjustment would be growth-friendly while still consistent with sustainability.
8. The authorities’ strong efforts to improve revenue administration have brought tangible results and need to be continued. Expanding tax administration’s resources and improving its business practices contributed to a significant pickup in revenue.
9. Proceeding with the planned reorganization of the three revenue departments will further improve the capacity of tax administration.
10. The authorities should subsequently consider introducing a fully-fledged VAT in place of the sales tax which would reduce distortions.

The inflation pressures stemming from the war in Ukraine warrant targeted support. Recently implemented reductions in fuel taxes require clear sunset clauses, while enhancing the social safety net to better target and more effectively protect the vulnerable. In view of higher food prices, the authorities could consider the continuation of the food program that was in place during the pandemic or other well-targeted measures.

Structural reform to modernize Curaçao’s civil service would work better than the current attrition and wage freeze policies. The 3-to-1 attrition policy was useful to reduce the overall government wage bill, but it has significant drawbacks as it is counterproductive in critical areas and reversible in non-critical areas.

Both level and skill composition of government employment needs to be consistent with the effective delivery of public services. Implementing functional reviews under the landspakket would help achieve that objective. A benchmark study of employment benefits in the public sector entities, already envisaged under the landspakket, is needed to calibrate compensation to retain the required talent and incentivize performance.

Reforms of the health care and social security systems are needed to alleviate pressure on public finances and reduce fiscal risks. The cost of healthcare has been steadily rising in recent years, exerting pressure on the social security fund (SVB) and requiring higher budget transfers. Given the complexity of the health reform, prompt design and stakeholder consultations are the immediate priority. It will be important to provide the health sector with adequate resources to ensure health care continuity, especially in view of the inflation shock.

Strengthening medium-term fiscal framework

Incorporating a medium-term perspective into the fiscal framework would be key for securing fiscal sustainability. The authorities could consider moving towards a fiscal responsibility framework guided by a medium-term fiscal anchor and supported by operational rules for overall or primary fiscal deficits. In view of Curaçao’s high vulnerability to shocks, the debt objective should minimize the risk of debt distress. The fiscal responsibility framework would need support from an across-the-board strengthening of public financial management.

A significant improvement of public investment strategy institutions and management is needed. The investment framework requires a clear planning and decision-making process, adequate project appraisal, and monitoring and assessment schemes. Climate risk assessment and adaptation measures would be an important part of a well-designed framework.

Finding a new growth model and improving data

Curaçao is transitioning toward a more tourism-based economy. With a strong pipeline of new hotels, the hospitality sector is well-positioned to become the leading engine of growth.

In addition, the authorities could explore options for developing other sectors, especially in the field of green energy production. This requires a substantial investment by both public and private sectors, which, in turn, needs better business climate and an improvement in the functioning of the labor market. Planned initiatives in the energy sector (e.g., establishing LNG plant) are promising, but require careful analysis. Deploying a guaranteed lending facility for viable SMEs in Curaçao would support the recovery.

It is necessary to provide adequate resources for data and information frameworks to enable taking more informed decisions. Current data gaps hamper effective macroeconomic analysis and policymaking. Improving data availability and timeliness requires adequate resources for the CBS and other data-related entities. Increasing information sharing across the public sector would improve policy effectiveness.

The Monetary Union of Curaçao and St. Maarten  Context and recent developments

The current account deficit (CAD) of the union eased to an estimated 24.1 percent of GDP in 2021. Despite the double-digit CADs, the stock of international reserves increased from US$1.3 in 2019 to US$1.8 billion, supported by significant financing from the Netherlands and financial account net inflows. The Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) has appropriately lifted Covid-19-related restrictions on foreign exchange transfers in January 2022.

Strengthening external and financial sector resilience.

Monetary policy continues to support the peg to the US dollar. It is important to continue to strengthen the transmission mechanism of monetary policy. The CBCS should continue to stand ready to absorb the excess liquidity if necessary. The planned review of the 60/40 investment rule should include a comprehensive review of the effects on the economy, including efficiency, pro-cyclicality, and the stability of international reserves, and a risk assessment at the level of institutional investors.

The financial system weathered the pandemic well, although financial vulnerabilities and risks remain elevated. The banking sector remains well-capitalized and liquid, but the longer-term effects of the pandemic on the asset quality are yet to be determined.

Low profitability of the banking sector is a concern as it limits banks’ ability to build up buffers. Despite significant excess liquidity, credit growth remains close to zero given the uncertain macro environment, perceived lending risks and structural impediments such as weak information frameworks. Continued careful monitoring of banking system access to a sufficient number of correspondent banks will remain important for the healthy functioning of the system.

The CBCS has made significant progress in advancing its financial reform agenda. It invested significant efforts into transitioning to risk-based supervision, including in the AML/CFT area, improved its enforcement policy, increased its capacity to monitor liquidity, and carried out asset quality reviews in four financial institutions.

The publication of the first Financial Stability Report is a substantial step forward. In cooperation with the government, the CBCS should promptly finalize the supervisory enforcement legislation.

It would be important to continue strengthening the AML/CFT framework. The National Risk Assessment (NRA) for Curaçao should analyze cross-border financial flows, including links to international financial centers and needs to be finalized and published soon. Sint Maarten needs to ensure appropriate resources for the upcoming NRA including fully funding and staffing the Financial Intelligence Unit and related law enforcement agencies.

The IMF mission would like to thank the authorities for their cooperation and the candid and constructive discussions that took place during May 18-25.

 

 

 

Caribbean Development Bank

52nd Annual Meeting June 14 – 16, 2022

NEWS RELEASE  June 10, 2022

Partnerships the Linchpin to Advance Caribbean’s Development, say MDB Heads

June 10, 2022, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Partnerships, whether between multilateral development banks (MDBs), between MDBs and the private sector or even between these institutions and philanthropic entities – will be the linchpin for advancing development to better the lives of Caribbean people.

On June 9 four current and former presidents of three MDBs engaged at the third edition of the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB’s) President’s Chat, at its ongoing 52nd Annual Meeting. The virtual event featured current and former CDB Presidents Dr Gene Leon and Dr Warren Smith, President of the European Investment (EIB) Bank Dr Werner Hoyer and President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Mauricio Claver-Carone. The interactive session was moderated by Dr Marion Williams,  former Governor of Barbados’ Central Bank and the country’s former Permanent Representative in Geneva.

Dr Leon said that access to adequate and affordable finance is the “biggest challenge in the Region today” in trying to address “extremely huge” and competing needs so it can become “a place of choice where future generations want to live.”

“Given the magnitude of the problem that we are looking to fix, it’s quite clear that we cannot do it by ourselves, and I say that to underline that the only way we can tackle the problem is through … strategic partnerships with the private sector, with investors, knowledge creators, institutions… Partnerships therefore become the foundation to allow us to do our key issue of meeting the purpose of a holistic development agenda with adequate and affordable finance.
If you have a trillion-dollar problem, you can’t solve it with a million-dollar solution. And since we have a million dollars, but we need a trillion dollars, there is no way we can get there without crowding in and therefore, the need for partnerships – domestic and external, public, and private, institutional and even philanthropic as a means of taking us to the next point.”

Retired President Dr Warren Smith highlighted how strategic partnering with other, larger MDBs had served CDB and its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) well during his tenure in being able to access concessional financing to explore climate action and sustainable energy initiatives.

“We also learned that accessing concessional resources is not easy. Each source of funding has its own set of rules and processes. It is iterative, time and resource consuming [especially] for a small institution like CDB with even smaller BMCS. Collaboration with larger and better resourced development agencies gives the region the access to the required resources.”. He noted successful collaboration with the European Union, the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the IADB on climate action and geothermal energy projects.
EIB President Dr Werner Hoyer recommended partnering with private capital to advance development, highlighting his institution’s own success in piloting green bonds.

We invented, for instance, the first green bonds in 2007. At that time it was considered a lunatic idea. This idea is now enormously heavy [with] trillions of dollars in the market. Building on this, I think we can play a role, together with CDB, in catalysing investment also in the Caribbean… In addition, there is enormous potential for guarantees and other risk sharing instruments to incentivise more private capital. As a matter of fact, when I talk to asset holders, to investors, they are actively searching for opportunities to invest in these fields. I think the money is waiting on the streets to be picked up by us to catalyse it into productive investments.”

IADB President Claver-Carone advanced the discussion, highlighting increasing market interest in ESG (environment, social and governance) investing and the successful efforts the IADB was having to improve the area’s ecosystem.

Stating that “the recovery of Latin America and the Caribbean will be private sector led” he said success needed to start with “realising the scale of the opportunity.”
“We’re seeing the analytics. In 2021, I think it was 120 billion that was poured into sustainable investments. … Black Rock has done a survey – over 50 percent of investors are considering sustainable investment. That’s critical. Investors are going to double that proportion of sustainable investments in their portfolios… it’s [going to be] almost 40% by 2025. I mean, this is proving to generate higher returns and so we’re seeing the estimates that the sustainable equity funds are outperforming traditional peer funds by almost five points. We have to expect that this is going to become an even greater force in the future,” he outlined.

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE  JUNE 4, 2022

Financial feasibility key to spurring renewable energy investment in Caribbean

June 04, 2022, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados

Make the dollars make sense.

That is what is needed to accelerate the renewable energy (RE) transition in the Caribbean, asserted high level energy industry stakeholders from both the public and private sectors during a sustainable energy seminar held on Friday as part of the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) 52nd Annual Meeting.

The seminar was entitled ‘What Do the Global Sustainable Development And Net-Zero Agendas Mean for the Caribbean’s Energy Transition’?.

Panellists were Dominica’s Minister for Planning, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Sustainable Development, and Renewable Energy Hon. Dr Vince Henderson, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Hon. Stuart Young, Chief Executive Officer of Soleco Angella Rainford, developer of Jamaica’s largest solar farm, and Chairman of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF), Jerry Butler.

While the panel advanced differing views and recommendations on exactly how to do this, they agreed that with the small size of most Caribbean markets, financial feasibility must be the overriding concern.

“We are talking about small markets – let’s not kid ourselves. With a country like Dominica… our installed capacity is about 26 megawatts [and] since Hurricane Maria, our peak is about 15 megawatts,” stated Minister Dr Henderson in speaking about his country’s forays in RE, particularly geothermal.

He noted that “no private partner is coming into this because they want to save the environment so much that it is the only thing that matters to them,” and added that as a policymaker, challenges have arisen in trying to bring on private sector partners who can facilitate renewable energy projects with an affordable end cost for local residents.

“They expect a return on that investment. So, what we’ve found out is that when the rubber hits the road, we get a few more bumps. The challenges that we’ve faced in the case of Dominica, we went to tender… in 2019 and the reality of the number that came to us was nothing close… as a matter of fact, twice what our consultants told us it would cost to do that project.”

CREF chairman Butler contended that there is private sector interest and financing available but that to make it make sense for investors, governments in the Region need to step up and speed up.

“What we found at CREF this year was that there was a huge amount of funding available – both grant funding and technical funding and in terms of private sector funding.
Because of that situation, where there is money now available to fund deals, the real question we found at this year’s CREF [was] what seems to be the missing element over a period of time? [There] is exactly just one point – analysis paralysis… Almost every last one of my CREF stakeholders have told me that the governments in the Caribbean are too slow, too reticent, they take too much time to get things done from one cabinet meeting to the other and just as they are about to get things done, they go to the population and there’s a vote and the government changes,” said Butler.

Speaking from the perspective of the private sector, Rainford asserted that both government and investors must start from a position of “where is the money going to come from to pay back all of this investment?”

She recommended looking to cost sharing and export for the kinds of RE projects that require high initial investments such as geothermal, saying:

“You’ve told me your peak is 26 MW… [for] a geothermal investment… there is no way that by basic math that it would make sense if it’s just for you. Clearly you would have to look for other groups. I wouldn’t invest unless I had an agreement from the other groups that they were going to purchase that power and what price they were going to purchase.”

On the question of how to make high initial investment costs feasible in small countries with relatively low levels of energy consumption, Minister Young raised the point of grant funding and how it could and should be used.

“You see the grant funding, don’t just dismiss it into feasibility studies and how to get your policies right and your regulations.
No, it can’t just be that because to make the metrics work for the people in these islands you need an element that covers … what will reduce the margins. So, if you [could] actually get the grant funding as a percentage of the capital cost of the project, that is how it should be applied in my view because it makes the project bankable to the private sector because it has reduced the overall cost and you’re dealing with very different metrics,” he stated.

He advanced a role for CDB as a “clearing house” to channel investment into the sector in the Region.

“Whilst we accept every territory has a different risk profile, different circumstances and even terrain… I want to promote CDB because we need to simplify it and we need to derive as governments, economies of scale that could benefit each of our territories. And I am looking for a champion that can do that. CDB must be able to know each individual territory these are the laws and regulations applied. [So] now rather than running to each country– no, go to CDB and CDB will become our champion and pull us in.”

 

 

UWI funding cut

At the post-Cabinet media briefing in the Diplomatic Centre, Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly advised that Trinidad & Tobago government agreed to cut funding to the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine campus by ten per cent while the campus finds other ways to address financial shortfalls.

“We have been faced with a challenge with the St Augustine campus continuing to ask us for large sums of money. We spend somewhere in the vicinity of $500 million a year as a direct contribution. Then you have to add Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses Programme (GATE) funding of at least $200 million.”

Imbert, as chairman of the UWI Grants Committee, was charged with hearing from the university on how it planned to raise funds and meet its financial arrangements.

On May 13, Imbert, Gadsby-Dolly and Keith Scotland, as a prime ministerial-appointed committee, met the St Augustine Guild on the issue of raising fees, given the government’s reduced subvention. The increased fees would mean students paying between 25 and 71 per cent more depending on the course of study.

While government could not direct the campus on how to run its affairs, it was suggested that some of its 300 courses be cut. The decision was up to the campus, which will now have approximately $450 million in subvention as well GATE funding from the State.

Fees at St Augustine had not increased in 21 years and that was one of the reasons the institution put forward to increase fees earlier this year for the academic year beginning in September.

That decision was scrapped for this academic year after the ministers met UWI officials and the students’ guild. Increased fees would have raised the contribution by students from 13 to 20 per cent of the costs, while the Government currently contributes 82 per cent of the annual budget.

“The committee recommended that the St Augustine campus do an in-depth cost analysis and efficacy analysis looking at all the courses they offer, at enrolment and considering how we could possibly reduce where possible. That information has been requested of the UWI, some has been supplied. So we will be preparing all of that and looking at it as we follow up during this academic year.”

Government did not support an increase in university fees at this time and would come to a conclusion for next year after receiving the information from the campus officials. No time frame was given for the campus to submit the information.

Asked how he found the financial operations of the campus given his position as chairman of the Grants Committee, Imbert said it was a contentious topic.

“We are not talking about UWI, St Augustine; we are talking the UWI. That is the subject of a lot of confusion within the university right now. Because there was a report indicating, more or less, these are my words, that UWI may have sort of overextended itself into growth. It has grown to become a huge organisation. But, in doing that, growing at such a rapid pace, it outgrew its ability to finance itself. So in that committee, I can see the problems that resulted from that.

“Some people will say: very laudable, noble idea to become one of the best universities in the world, or the largest universities in the world , which is the path they were on. But what happened is that they didn’t have the capacity to finance it.”

Asked if the country was getting value for money with an annual expense of close to $750 million paid to the campus in GATE and subventions, Imbert said he did not want to comment on that.

 

UWI fees

Dr Indira Rampersad, President of the West Indian Group of University Teachers (Wigut), which represents lecturers, senior administrative and professional staff, said the union disagrees with the suggestion by UWI Campus Principal Brian Copeland and his team. to increase tuition fees.

During the University Finance and General-Purpose Committee meeting, Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles also disagreed with the suggestion. Beckles recognised the challenges faced by students and proposed a tripartite committee consisting of the campus executive management, students’ guild and the government. Beckles suggested the decision of the committee then be taken to the University Council, the highest governing body of the regional institution.

UWI Chancellor Robert Bermudez’s governance commission report recommended a 100 per cent increase in student fees from the 20 per cent of the UWI budget, to which students are currently contributing, to 40 per cent.

On June 3, during a post-Cabinet media briefing, Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly announced the government would be cutting the funding to the university’s St Augustine campus by ten per cent while it finds other ways to address financial shortfalls owing to financial constraints. The annual contribution is $517 million and UWI can offset the deficit by raising tuition fees.

On May 13, a prime ministerial-appointed committee, including Imbert, Gadsby-Dolly and Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland, met the St Augustine Guild on the issue of the proposed tuition hike, given the government’s reduced subvention. The increased fees would mean students paying between 25 and 71 per cent more, depending on the course of study.

On June 3, UWI said its fees will remain the same for the September semester but recommended an increase going forward. While it recognised and empathised with the concerns expressed, the campus has been operating with the same fees for the past 21 years. It lamented that it was costly to run the institution because it has grown to meet the needs and standards of internationally accredited higher educational services.

“UWI St Augustine fees are currently the lowest in the UWI system and among tertiary education institutions in the Caribbean. The proposal that went before the Government and UWI seeks to align its tuition fees with those at other campuses. “Tuition fees for the upcoming semester will therefore remain the same, consequent to the Government’s position. The campus will be required to operate with considerable reduction to its finances and, hopefully, with minimal disruption.”

UWI was working on documentation requested by the Government about the proposed student fees increase for the 2023/2024 academic year and improving operational efficiencies.

Rampersad said , “We are in solidarity with students. We don’t want to lose our students and we certainly will not lose our staff. Education is not a commodity you can quantify monetarily, neither is UWI a corporate enterprise. It is a public institute and governments of the region made a commitment to support it.”

Governments of the UWI declared their support to the universities at the 1989 Grande Anse Declaration in Grenada.

“Because this is a regional public university it will need heavy government support.”

The Open Campus funding was recently cut by 40 per cent and lecturers have been getting their salaries late. “That is not tenable.”

The University Centre’s funding was cut by 40 per cent and is struggling.

“The problem is they were trying to use the fee increase to counter (government’s) subvention cut. It is not fair that students should be the ones to make up for that cut.” The government announcement was also untimely, considering the state of the economy since the beginning of the pandemic.

“The campus has been struggling for a very long time. We have already cut costs to bare bones. We have rationalised courses and revised the curriculum. Lecturers are doing the jobs of teaching assistants, research assistants and teaching huge classes and many classes as well. Lecturers are overworked and have not had an increase (in salary) since 2014. The union will not tolerate any cuts to staff. Lecturers have made a tremendous sacrifice, working from home with their own resources and like many other unions, we are ready for an increase.”

UWI VC and his colleagues are High Priests of Politics who mask the hypocrisy of reparation. Resources are squandered galvanizing Caricom citizens to protest at royal visits to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen ELizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth and Head of State of 8 Caricom countries of Antigua-Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica,

St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vncent-Grenadines. These have access to UK jobs and citizenship. Caricom states which overthrew the monarch remain as republics in the Commonwealth, addicted to aid and other benefits while committing statue stunts and other sacrilege of heritage in Britain.

Leaders of independent states nationalised energy and other industries but mismanged their economies which depend on foreign investment and tourism, mainly British. Sugar and rum continue to contribute to revenues but agriculture declined due to paltry budgets and neglect of food production, leading to an import bill of USD6 billion.

Unethical tobacoo and alcohol are among the most profitable companies. Citizens complain about costs of food and energy but spend money on alcohol, carnival, casinos, cosmetics, ornaments, tobacco, tattoos, fashion and entertainment. Escalating violent crime is widespread and creates insecurity due to police corruption and incompetence. Regimes turn a blind eye to racial bigotry, eschewing diversity and quality in the cosmopolitan region where minorities are persecuted and elections rigged.

Micro-states abounding in resources are infested with the Caricom disease–bloated bureaucracies, fragmentation, tribalism and lack of unity, accountability and transparency. Every islet, volano, beach bar and coral reef seeks political power and eschews cooperation, with 12 High Commissions in London alone for 18 million citizens. Many have separate embassies in Geneva, USA, PRC and other countries, consuming resources.
Caricom can appointe a director for freedom of speech and academic freedom must be impartial. Degrees should align with economic needs and focus on historic strengths in STEAM- science, technology, engineering, agriculture and medicine. Courses can be cut in politics, sociology, climate, decolonisation and minority interests.

 

 

UWI Press earn awards

The Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards) recognised three books published by The University of the West Indies Press (UWI Press).

Traditional and Western Medicine: Voices from Jamaican Psychiatric Patients by Dr Caryl James Bateman received the gold medal in the Psychology/Mental Health category; How Britain Underdeveloped the Caribbean: A Reparation Response to Europe’s Legacy of Plunder and Poverty by Professor Hilary Beckles received the silver medal in the History (World) category and Education and Development: Policy Imperatives for Jamaica and the Caribbean by Dr Canute S Thompson was named bronze medallist in the Education II (Commentary/Theory) category.

Established in 1992, the UWI Press is a not-for-profit publishing agency managed by The UWI, which specialises in publishing scholarly books and journals across 16 disciplines.

UWI Press books and authors have received over 100 local, national and international awards and recognitions for scholarly, editorial, design, production and marketing excellence.

Nadine D Buckland, acting general manager, of the UWI Press said “As a regional publisher operating in the global publishing world, we are delighted with the recognition from the IPPY awards. It highlights the high, scholarly standards, the reputation built, the synergy of commerce and content and the work of a dedicated team.

“As the UWI Press celebrates 30 years in scholarly publishing, this recognition validates the vision of our founding leaders and serves as a catalyst for the future of the UWI Press as the premier scholarly books and journals publisher in the Caribbean.”

An estimated 2,400 publishers enter the IPPY awards each year, from North America and English-speaking countries worldwide.

The UWI Press and the wider university community congratulate the authors on their outstanding contributions to global literary excellence.

 

 

US$9.5 million FAO fisheries project

June 5, 2022

Three countries in Caricom will benefit from a US$9.5 million project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. The initiative is geared towards building the capacity to fish using a sustainable ecosystem approach in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and Suriname. The FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean said that the Global Environment Facility (GEF) within the United Nations provided grant funding of US$1.7 million for the project.

Additionally, US$7.8 million in co-financing was raised from private and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), bringing the total money invested in the project, which will benefit 12,000 persons in Guyana, Suriname and T&T, to US$9.5 million.

The project will start in the first quarter of 2023 and last for 48 months. Among its aims are to encourage small-scale fisheries to adopt more sustainable fishing practices through new business opportunities and supporting knowledge management and lesson learning. The project had a preparatory phase workshop, for over 70 persons representing fisherfolk, regional fisheries bodies, Government, civil society organisations, private sector and academia.

FAO collaborated with the fisheries agencies in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago to host the workshop in April, which among other things, had the objective of presenting a workplan for the project document. FAO Lead Technical Officer for the project, Marcelo Vasconcellos, said the initiative aims to advance adoption and implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) in the shrimp and groundfish fisheries in the North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem.

“The countries of Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago will be participating in the project which is intended to improve 5,982,900 hectares of marine habitat, contribute to moving 22,000 tonnes of marine fisheries to more sustainable levels, and benefit 8000 males and 4000 females including fisherfolk, fishing communities, Government agencies, relevant public and private sector, civil society, and academia.”

On its own, Guyana has been making significant strides towards improving its fisheries industry. President Dr Irfaan Ali announced a commercial marine-cage fish farming project in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), which would seek to produce 11 metric tonnes of fish every nine months. This would also be a youth-driven project, with the assistance of the Government’s technical officers.

The President recently announced the roll out of a one-off cash grant to the tune of $150,000, which will go to each of the thousands of registered local fisherfolk, across the country. This measure is intended as a direct help for thousands of persons who depend on the fishing industry to sustain them. Last year, President Ali declared that Government would be pursuing an aggressive campaign to dismantle regional barriers to agricultural trade and that in the next four years, with the assistance of boosted production and more diversified crops, Guyana would aim to reduce Caricom’s food import bill by 25 per cent, by 2025. Fishing is categorised as an agricultural sector.

Months after assuming office, President Ali charged the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry with assessing and addressing hurdles related to exporting food and agricultural products to regional markets. Concerns about barriers to trade in some markets were raised with the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).

The Ministry subsequently formed a National Working Group on Barriers to Trade against Exports from Guyana. According to the assessment on market access by the Working Group, most of the challenges found were related to technical measures, including sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Several technical and administrative regulations were hampering the export of Guyanese products.

 

 

 CARICOM 

Agri-Investment Forum and Expo

CARICOM Heads of Government met in Georgetown, Guyana on May 19 and 20, 2022 for the “Agri-Investment Forum and Expo: Investing in Vision 25 by 2025”, organised by the Government of Guyana and the CARICOM Secretariat. The Group took the opportunity of the important and timely Forum to discuss the grave global situation of the shortages and high prices of imported food fertilizers and other agricultural inputs; and the severe problems affecting transportation and logistics.

They noted with great concern that CARICOM Member States continue to be deeply impacted by these developments which resulted in a dramatic increase in the cost of food, exposing still further regional food insecurity due to its vulnerability to external influences and the impact of climate change. The Group recognized that CARICOM member states have the capacity to attain a high level of food security for the Community as a whole provided that urgent action is taken to effectively implement necessary actions.

The Group agreed that lack of action to implement the 2005 “Framework for the repositioning of Caribbean agriculture” (the Jagdeo initiative) which was agreed by CARICOM Governments, delayed the Community’s capacity to safeguard against the impact of the present crisis. They again welcomed the timely and important vision for agricultural development presented by President Irfaan Ali of Guyana, to the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in March 2022.

They resolved to recommend, for the adoption by CARICOM Heads of Government, the following four priority areas to address food security urgently and sustainably, including critically, setting and keeping deadlines for implementation:

Food insecurity

The agricultural plan, proposed by President Ali and agreed by the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in March 2022, should be fully implemented as swiftly as possible, with the continued involvement of all relevant stakeholders. President Ali was requested to mandate the Ministerial Task Force on Food Security to propose an implementation schedule for urgent consideration by Heads of Government.

Regional Transportation

Recognizing that the lack of adequate regional transportation by sea and air is an obstacle to the transportation of food within the region and determined that it should be overcome within the shortest possible time frame, Prime Minister of Barbados the Hon. Mia Mottley, together with the Heads of Government in the quasi-Cabinet responsible for Transport and Agriculture, have been requested to complete a proposal for establishing adequate and sustainable regional transportation, after consultation with the private sector, the international donor community and multilateral development agencies, for consideration by Heads of Government in July 2022. In making this recommendation, the Group was heartened by the advice of the Caribbean Development Bank that it is willing to use its best efforts to mobilise resources in this effort.

Trade Barriers

In considering that trade barriers, particularly non-tariff barriers, are one of the biggest inhibitors to the development of the regional market for agriculture produce, and that removing these barriers requires political consensus and determination, the Group recommends that a Special Committee immediately prepare proposals with deadlines for eliminating such trade barriers. The Special Committee should be convened by the Prime Minister with Quasi Cabinet responsibility for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, and its proposals for implementation should be presented at a Special Meeting of Heads of Government in the third quarter of 2022.

Women and Youth

Recognising and affirming the importance of participation of women and youth in agriculture – both to enlarge the sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of national economies and to empower the two groups to share in the earnings that can be generated by a vibrant agricultural sector – the CARICOM Secretariat should be authorised to commission an urgent study, for consideration by the Special Meeting of Heads of Government proposed for the third quarter of this year, on ways to attract and expand the participation of youth and women by at least 20% by 2025. The terms of reference of the study should include mechanisms for providing access to finance; crop insurance; contract purchasing of produce; and training including in the use of modern technology.

Heads of Governments emphasize the urgency in implementing the four priority issues which they have identified as imperative to overcome the current grave challenges of food shortages in a sustainable manner. The Group noted the work of the Ministerial Task Force on Food production chaired by the Minister of Agriculture of Guyana, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, in advising on the development of a CARICOM food system. They welcomed with great appreciation the important and timely initiative by President Ali of organising the “Agri-Investment Forum and Expo” from which these deliberations and recommendations have been made. They looked forward enthusiastically to maintaining the momentum, generated by this meeting, at a follow-up “Agriculture and Food Security Forum” in Trinidad and Tobago in August 2022.

 

 

 

OAS

Jun 20 2022

LOCAL officials of the Organisation for Responsible Governance attended the IX Summit of the Americas. #ORG contributed to the 2022 theme of “Building a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future”.

#The Organisation of American States (OAS) hosted the Summit in Los Angeles, California, with civil society representatives from across the Western Hemisphere. #ORG’s executive director, Matt Albury, focused on the importance of communication between the public and government.

He said: “A key objective for citizen equity and participation in The Bahamas and the region is how to change heavily political cultures to create inclusive and accessible environments where citizen’s criticism or dissent is valued and utilised toward national development.”

#During the four-day forum, ORG joined in numerous roundtable discussions and provided a Bahamian perspective. The forum aided in ORG giving suggestions on how to reinforce democratic governance and digital transformation. #ORG has developed a Citizen’s Charter in The Bahamas used to facilitate information with communities on accessible and effective government services. Mr Albury noted government officials are interested in ORG’s Charter model as a tool to strengthen government services.

#ORG also spoke on anti-corruption in the Americas during an international roundtable. The discussion included civil society leaders such as Prime Minister Pierre from St Lucia; United States Ambassador to the United Nations, President Castillo from Peru, Thomas-Greenfield; Ambassador to the OAS and officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, El Salvador and Chile.

Many countries in the region struggle with similar issues as The Bahamas. However, The Bahamas can learn from these countries to help in developing solutions.

#The Civil Society Forum highlighted the importance of education, transparenc, and adapting solutions based on the country itself in order to prevent corruption.

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley was one of several CARICOM leaders who attended the IX Summit of the Americas. She made a powerful argument as to why countries of the Americas must act quickly and decisively to protect their peoples from spiralling prices, while guaranteeing their access to critical supplies.
She addressed climate change and emphasized the importance of dealing with supply chain disruptions, especially as they impact the region’s ability to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and keep infections down.

“Why can’t we have an American supply platform that treats to the most critical supplies, so that we can reduce the price of critical goods, from vaccines to all other things that are impacting our ability to deliver proper services to our people?” she asked as she urged the hemispheric group to use its cooperative efforts to build joint platforms for procurement, similar to the African Medical Supplies Platform, which procured COVID 19 vaccines for member states at the height of the pandemic.

Plagued by bureaucratic paralysis and addicted to aid and debt, Caricom is unable to progress and should be incorporated by the USA to protect the region from crime and the dangers of PRC totalitarians, as the spectre of starvation looms.

 

 

Climate change in the region

May 26 2022

The National Gas Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Caribbean Community Centre for Climate Change (CCCCC) to mutually cooperate in areas and activities that can positively impact regional climate change. Details follow in this press release from NGC:

NGC has long since recognised that the fight against climate change can only be successful if there is an ecosystem of partners and stakeholders committed to knowledge sharing and integrating skills to build a sustainable energy future for the Caribbean.

As a demonstration of this ethos, NGC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Caribbean Community Centre for Climate Change (CCCCC) to mutually cooperate in areas and activities that can positively impact regional climate change.

The MOU, focuses heavily on strengthening the rigour of the collection and analysis of climate change data to support evidence-based decision-making throughout CARICOM. It also allows for information from the CCCCC’s Regional Clearinghouse Database to be shared on NGC’s CariGreen website, to encourage greater accessibility, availability and use of regional climate change data. CariGreen was launched in June 2021 to facilitate investor, academic and citizen research into clean energy.

The 2.0 version will be available by the end of May 2022. Beyond the knowledge transfer, the MOU provides NGC, and members of The NGC Group, the opportunity of exploring investments in clean energy and renewable energy projects that are being implemented or developed by the CCCCC in CARICOM countries. The collaboration has created a space for NGC and CCCCC to pursue joint projects aligned with the green sustainability agenda of both parties.

Encouraging meaningful dialogue through education and awareness is critical to transforming attitudes and behaviours around climate change. The MOU also covers joint communication and visibility programmes, which can be developed to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation awareness initiatives and net-zero commitments aimed at improving climate change awareness in the CARICOM region.

NGC President, Mark Loquan remarked, “NGC is excited about the immense potential of this collaboration with CCCCC. We have already identified functional areas for practical initiatives that will produce tangible results and outcomes. The Company continues to actively seek organisations, which, like NGC, are pursuing a Green Agenda to confront climate change, promote energy transition and achieve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.”

CCCCC’s Executive Director Colin Young stated that the “CCCCCC is eager to pursue this collaboration with NGC that will contribute to bolstering the substantial efforts undertaken by the CCCCC to collect, analyze and use climate data for evidence-based decision making and that will better position CARICOM Member States to make the climate rationale necessary to attract climate finance for climate resilient development. Strategic partnerships, such as this one with NGC, are essential to crowd-in innovation, private sector knowledge, expertise and finance needed to accelerate the transition to net zero by 2050 in order to keep 1.5o C temperature goal alive. We are pleased to see the tangible commitments being undertaken by NGC via its CariGreen agenda towards net zero and environmental sustainability.

NGC and its subsidiaries recognise the value and importance of sharing and leveraging resources among stakeholders to meet climate change challenges. NGC is ready to accept the challenge and is well positioned to create partnerships that will shape national and regional conversations around sustainability.

 

 

Morrow Energy

Morrow Energy Company’s landfill gas treatment plants can take landfill gas, treat it and produce clean, pipeline-quality methane gas that can be used as a clean energy solution.

The Beetham Highway landfill spews noxious gases and the Aripo landfill emits smoke and smog from frequent fires. The chemicals from the landfills such as toxic hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulphide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) wreak havoc on the air quality and have serious short-term and long-term effects for the of the communities who live there.

One exhibitor at the 2022 Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference hosted by the TT Energy Chamber, Morrow Energy, a gas treatment company, may have a solution to the gases coming from the Beetham, Guanapo, Forres Park and Studley Park landfills to deal with the toxicity and produce an additional source of renewable gas. Morrow Energy, using special technology and patented chemicals, treats toxic fumes to produce pipeline-quality natural gas.

Change the environment

Areyan Stocks-Gonzales, finance and business development manager, said that the US-based Morrow Energy Company was established in 1986 by the Morrow family. They started in contract treating and moved on to manufacturing sales and equipment for the conventional oil and gas industry.

In 2000 the company began building landfill gas treatment plants, but how it started, Stocks-Gonzales said, was on a dare. Someone gave the company a sample of gas that they were challenged to treat.

“We figured out a way to treat it and sent it back. It was only after we sent the treated product that we realised that it was a sample from a landfill.”

After the company treated the gas it began developing and designing and commissioned its first plant in Arkansas. Now, it has 24 landfill gas treatment plants and 16 digester plants which take gases from waste food and manure and convert that into natural gas as well.

Stocks-Gonzales said that while they have been in the landfill gas treatment business for 22 years, over the last five to ten years they built most of their plants.

“We took our decades of treating experience and leveraged that to build a plant that treats the gas, and we were successful. The very first plant is still running. Every couple years we would look at more plants but from 2012 we really started building.”

Landfill gas is by far, the dirtiest gas that Morrow Energy has ever had to treat. Conventional natural gas that comes from an onshore or an offshore well is relatively clean. Natural gas has some hydrocarbons and a quantity of CO2 as well as hydrogen sulphide, but other than that it is relatively clean and easy to treat.

“When you look at landfill gas every gas that you can possibly imagine is there in some concentration or another, depending on the nature of what goes into the dump. There is a lot of variability to it, and because of that it is harder to treat.”

Landfill gas is about 50 per cent methane, which is 28 to 36 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere, making it a much larger contributor to global warming than carbon.

In the US, municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the methane emissions from landfills in 2020 was the equivalent to 20.3 million passenger vehicles driven for a year.

When a landfill is covered it creates an anaerobic environment for bacteria to break down the trash. As bacteria feeds on the garbage it releases the noxious gases. Short-term exposure to gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulphide can cause coughing, irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, breathing difficulties and aggravation of asthma. Long-term exposure can also cause nasal blockage, sleep difficulties, weight loss, chest pain, nausea and headache.

Stocks-Gonzales said the main ingredient in its landfill gas treatment process is the chemical Selexol which, at varying temperatures and pressure can select different chemicals in the air.

“Selexol is absorbing and physically pulls chemicals out the gas, grabs it and holds on to it. At one temperature and pressure it will collect soloxines and VOCs and some of the really nasty components, and at other pressures it will absorb carbon. We can treat the vast majority of the hard-to-treat gases and then it is pretty easy to remove the rest of the components.”

Morrow Energy digs a well in the landfills, draws out the gas and treats it. First, it is compressed for transit through a pipeline, then the hydrogen sulphide is removed through the use of a solid media VOC treatment bed which binds and extracts the chemicals. Then the selexol is introduced, which absorbs the harmful chemicals such as heavy hydrocarbons. The selexol takes out carbon as well, then the oxygen is removed with a catalytic O2 unit. The result is clean, pipeline-quality methane gas that can be used in a list of clean energy solutions. Chemicals drawn out of the gas are gathered and incinerated to the point where it would not be harmful.

“There is a small stream of harmful chemicals that you can’t release into the atmosphere, so we incinerate it using a thermal oxidiser. These are chemicals that would have been released into the atmosphere anyway, but we collect it and render it harmless.”

While the methane collection is one benefit of the process, one of the bigger benefits of landfill gas plants is the reduction in odour. Morrow can withdraw a steady amount of natural gas depending on the size of the landfill. TT’s Solid Waste Management Co Ltd (SWMCOL) said landfills receive about 700,000 tonnes of waste per year, which is two-thirds household waste and one-third industrial waste.

Stocks-Gonzales lauded the Energy Chamber Conference, saying it was a great opportunity to meet several people in the industry. Project manager Bob Heath did a lot of work in the regional energy sector and knew the conference would be the first time in two years that people in the chamber would meet physically.

“We started looking into it more and more and we realised that you have three landfills that were great candidates for this technology. The experience at the conference was great. It was well put together and well run and was a great opportunity to meet people while we were down there. We were really glad that we came.”

Stocks-Gonzales met SWMCOL and visited the Beetham landfill, to assess whether or not the landfills were in fact good candidates. He praised SWMCOL on its management of the landfills.

“I thought that the meeting went very well. It was very positive. We see how committed the government is to improving the conditions by the landfills and the emphasis they are putting on moving in a more sustainable direction. We believe in their mission and think we can help them achieve that goal.

 

 

Skills

The Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals (Amendment) Bill passed in the House of Representatives. The vote went as expected, with PNM members voting for and the UNC against.

Commenting on the bill’s success, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne said, “We are Caricom.”

Unfortunately, saying it is not as simple as achieving it.

The Caribbean archipelago has a long history of grappling with the divide-and-rule tactics of governance, which instilled in generations a sense of difference.

The new bill strengthens this country’s commitment to the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). The CSME began in 1989, but the effort to link Caribbean nations economically dates back to 1965, when the short-lived Caribbean Free Trade Agreement was established, and hence the free trade area known as Carifta.

Carifta had sought to revive some of the ambitions of the even more short-lived West Indies Federation and even that took the weakened form preferred by Britain. It was easier for Britain to retain the dependence and hence the allegiance of individual, micro- states than an unwieldy fractious region with a larger population.

The new bill expands the scope of skilled workers in TT covered by the CSME, but even after 33 years, this country is still some distance from that regional ideal. Between 2017 and 2022, 147 workers presented fake certificates to work in TT, evidence of demand for the CSME that has descended into counterfeiting.

Naparima MP Rodney Charles saw the issue differently.

“The PNM is snubbing our citizens,” he charged.

Independent Senator Anthony Vieira called for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to replace the Privy Council as TT’s final court of appeal. UNC Senator Wade Mark opposed the motion, claiming the CCJ was flawed and represented a danger to democracy.

TT has hosted the CCJ since its inauguration in 2001, supporting – but not legally endorsing – the idea of a comprehensively supreme regional court staffed by regional legal expertise. Thus it remains, shamefully, our highest court only in matters relating to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, that is, the document which binds Caricom.

The opposition posture and the tendency of each minuscule state to insist on its own complete sovereignty undermine any potential unity among the peoples of the Caribbean, making them easier for overseas powers to manipulate through political and economic enticements and pressures. Encouraging division among Caribbean nations that are part of what should be a developing regional economic bloc is embarrassing and counter-productive.

 

 

Food security

26 may

The prospects of Guyana wheat and soya production can be a solution to regional food security. Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon said the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana for renewed and enhanced co-operation will provide a sustainable solution to issues of food prices, security and availability.

She signed another MOU between the Ministry of Tourism and the Royal Caribbean at the Trinidad Hilton, Port of Spain .

“The major concern is prices, but what is also becoming more intriguing is the issue of availability,” Gopee-Scoon said.

She described the signing of the MOU between Guyana and TT as “fortuitous” because an enhanced relationship between the two countries in the area of agriculture could provide the inputs to produce basic food items at a price that could be better controlled.

“Guyana has a vast land mass and therefore countries like Guyana and Belize can produce these items . Once we get the production of these basic items going there will be no concerns over availability. Then, of course the price could be settled within the region.”

“If we get into growing soya bean then that means that you are going to be able to supply soya bean oil. After that there will be the mash which is an input in the production of animal feed. All round, it is going to benefit. These are the kind of sustainable initiatives.”

She said outside of these initiatives, there is very little that can be done on a policy level to control the prices or offset any price increases.

“We have already taken off value-added tax (VAT) and suspended the common external tariff (CET). We are having discussions with NFM and we are concerned about the pricing, but it is the consumer that we are most concerned about. What we are looking at is actual production. That is where we will be able to have more control over price and availability.”

Agricultural Society president Darryl Rampersad said price increases in products that come out of grains like flour and feed were impending because of worldwide shocks such as India’s ban on the export of wheat. Although TT does not buy directly from India, the country could still be affected by the lack of availability as it gets its wheat from a third-party dealer.

“When people highlighted the problems in Ukraine and people said it would not affect us because we don’t buy from Ukraine, the truth is we don’t buy directly from Ukraine. The same way, we don’t buy directly from India but we buy from someone who is purchasing from them and every time the hands change the prices go up as well. So there is going to be a significant increase.”

The World Bank said in its commodity markets outlook report in April that the war in Ukraine sent shockwaves through worldwide markets, significantly altering global trade, production and consumption patterns that would keep prices historically high through the end of 2024.

The World Bank said agriculture and meals are expected to increase over 20 per cent in 2022. On May 14, India, the world’s second largest wheat producer, announced a ban on its exports. The government chose to protect food security for its population about 1.4 billion. India also announced that it will limit sugar exports to 10 million tonnes for the marketing season that runs through September.

The Modi government said it took the decision to maintain stocks in India after a large growth in exports last year and during the current financial year, from October last year to September. India is the largest producer of sugar in the world and the second largest exporter behind Brazil. Sugar mills in India have signed contracts for about nine million tonnes, so far, for the current financial year. Over the last year, India shipped over seven million tonnes of sugar overseas.

After a three-day agriculture forum and expo in Guyana, both the TT and Guyana governments signed the MOU to address partnerships in trade and investment, including non-tariff barriers, agriculture and food security, energy, infrastructure, education, tourism, sports and culture. TT and Guyana already have trade relationships with parboiled brown rice, cane sugar, wholly milled parboiled rice, husked brown rice and frozen fillets among the top products imported from Guyana.

 

 

Taxing and eating the energy cake

Jun 03, 2022

While leaders in Guyana are energized to invest oil revenues in infrastructure and other sectors, Trinidad and Tobago is determined to squeeze its oil and gas sector, like an orange for juice. The PM plans a comprehensive review of the oil and gas tax regime and wants petroleum profits tax, supplemental petroleum tax and more royalty for onshore, shallow and deepwater projects”

He means business and signalled all investors that this is what to expect, this is the way that it is going to be. Take it or leave it, invest on our terms, or not at all. This is the kind of talk, the action with vigor and determination to get the level of returns that led to the poor response to the Deep Water bid round.

Prime Minister Rowley laid out the specifics of his vision of what the future of the oil and gas sector in his country should be. He talks about exploration everywhere, and about increased tax regimes under varying scenarios but which all have one common denominator for citizens of Trinidad and Tobago: more money, which means more benefits for the floundering economy. .

“Unrealized potential is of no value to anyone, not to the resource owners that are the people of Trinidad and Tobago, or to interested investors if that resource remains out of reach, undeveloped or unexploited.” Such attitudes and visions may appeal to the desperate but will not change the negative lens through which international investors now view the century-old petrostate, starved of any economic framework, or pro-growth measures to melt scepticism and ignite business confidence.

Hiking corporation tax sends the wrong messages. Kowtowing to calls for windfall tax is idiotic if TT wants bidders for blocks. Public spending restraint is one key. The optics of corporation tax are terrible as the economy needs investment. Cakeism is discredited. You cannot keep your cake and eat it.

 

Jamaica

Jun 17 2022

Jamaica has successfully navigated the risk to its brand and remains a safe destination for its visitors while consistently ranked the Caribbean island with the highest murder rate.  It welcomed its one millionth guest for the year as tourism rebounds from the pandemic.

Director of tourism Donovan White said the high crime and murder rates did not deter investments in the sector and the country is in an expansion mood.

“From a risk perspective every investor has their risk tolerance and their own risk analysis that allow them to make decisions on their investment. We have never had an investor who has turned down the opportunity to invest in Jamaica because of security reasons and that is a proud reputation that we have.”

Jamaica has been carefully focused and stayed on the message that crime and violence affect less than one per cent of visitors , which was an empirical fact.

“And so for us, in terms of ensuring that we provide an enabler area across Jamaica in terms of our resort areas, that provide a level of safety and seamlessness of movement for every tourists who comes into the country, is our pride and joy. We have been able to continue to augment that.

We have been able to ensure the kind of rigour surrounding destination assurance is delivered to every visitor that comes into the country and where there are variances we have tried to ensure that we address those issues proactively and if not proactive, immediately reactive, so that they do not become an issue for our tourism product.

So it is more an issue of understanding your environment to the extent that you are able to be either proactive, so you act before something happens, so you are able to ensure that destination assurance is guaranteed, but at the same time some things will happen, that is just the nature of life, the nature of business, so we have to make sure we put the things in place to be able to react immediately.”

The level of security provided to the tourism sector does not drive up costs and reduce profits since there is in his words “no over exertion of additional security.”

He admitted that Jamaica has a crime problem but pointed out it was not unique to the island.

“Like every country, right across this world, there are challenges with security at many levels, some more than some, I think what we have done is appreciated where we are in the management of our own security, not just for visitors who come to the country, but for Jamaicans who have to live in Jamaica, and I believe we have done an outstanding job to date.

There is still lots of ways to go and there still are areas of our security governance that we have to improve, but we are acknowledging of that and we are recognising that we have room to grow and we are embracing the opportunity to grow,” White posited.

Tourism, particularly its construction of hotels and other properties, has been a much needed shot in the arm for Trinidad Cement Ltd, headquartered in Trinidad which owns a major plant in Jamaica. Several large hotels are at present under constructio, including two new Sandals properties.

He dismissed any suggestion that the island could be close to capacity.

“We don’t believe we are any where near to capacity at this point in time. Presently Jamaica has somewhere in the order of 32,000 rooms—when you compare with out chief competitors, say Mexico, let’s just take Quintana Roo, by itself as a part of Mexico, it is 125,000 rooms, Dominican Republic is 85,000 rooms, so from a capacity standpoint, just looking at the landmass we are talking about comparatively, we are not at capacity.”

Jamaica is very focused on expanding the tourism product in other parts of the island, like the eastern belt.

“In St Thomas there are some of the most beautiful, picturesque areas of Jamaica, that are completely greenfield. Those areas have been scoped for development of tourism and there has been a significant amount of work done already in terms of doing the necessary environmental studies, doing the necessary capacity studies and those areas are now ready for investments, and ready to be shown to investors.”

“We are also looking at the expansion of the Ocho Rios area, we are also looking at the expansion of Port Antonio in terms of a more luxurious, eco friendly destination. We are looking at the expansion of the south coast which is still a very virgin territory, under developed in terms of our tourism asset development, but in doing that we also have to continue to do what I said earlier, the development of the infrastructure around some of these areas. The road network, the transportation network, the enablement of Jamaican citizens to participate in the ownership and development of these areas, through tourism as well as through business.”

Jamaica has also added new products, including a Trinidad-style Carnival.
Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said the island does not want to take over T&T’s Carnival but rather enhance it. Bartlett said,  ” Jamaica is adding value to Carnival.”

In 2019, before the pandemic, every room and Airbnb property in Kingston and environs was sold out for the days leading up to the carnival, and some people had to find accommodation in Ocho Rios-two hours drive from Kingston.

Jamaica stumbled into Carnival but is excited and committed to hosting it and letting it be part of its tourism offering.

“Jamaica has sought of walked into the carnival arena and is literally taking it over. Our Trinidadian friends probably won’t agree with that (laughs), but I think that we have come a good way with it. It’s good because what it says is that there can be a common Caribbean cultural experience that we can take from island to island, just the same way I think that reggae has become quite a regional genre and that people all over the world engage in—so carnival can become a similar kind of global musical and dancing instrument and we look forward to that.”

This year Jamaica’s Carnival will be held from July 1 to July 10

Trinidad inherited Carnival from the French colony, like New Orleans. Brazil inherited carnival from Portuguese founders. It is a universal event.

 

 

World Free Zone Conference

Thu Jun 23 2022

The World Free Zone Conference and Exhibition in Montego Bay was an opportunity for Jamaica to push its conference tourism and to show the world its emergence as a confident and resilient island, ready to take off economically with the social benefits that attend a thriving economy.

It was clear from the government that Jamaica is firm in its belief that the private sector must drive its economic revival and that it is not in competition with the sector.

Delivering the keynote address at the conference, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, “We have established a strong record of macroeconomic stability and prudent fiscal management and have managed to maintain this even during the pandemic. Our debt-to-GDP ratio before the pandemic was 94 per cent and is now 96 per cent; only two percentage points higher. By contrast, several of our peers have seen increases of 20, 30, 40 and even 50 percentage points.”

“We are seeing a strong rebound in our economy after the pandemic, with an estimated six per cent growth recorded in the quarter ended March 2022. We are one of few countries in the region with no foreign exchange controls and a freely floating currency. We have a robust and well-established regulatory and fiscal regime for Special Economic Zones.

“We have a track record of large-scale public-private partnerships, as I mentioned earlier, for our air and sea ports and highways. We want to ensure that Jamaica is a nation full of opportunities for international investors as well as for local entrepreneurs. Trade and business are part of our Jamaican culture just as .. Blue Mountain coffee.”

His words are not empty. Significant construction IS taking place in the hotel sector. It has emerged as a major centre for Business Process Outsourcing and a global leader in improving the ease of doing business. Forced into a difficult IMF programme, Jamaica has weathered the storm and now its unemployment rate is the lowest in its history, it has set up the institutional framework that forces its governments to maintain fiscal discipline and cut waste.

Jamaica still has unmanageable crime, its economy is substantially smaller than T&T, which is only half its physical size and has less than half its population and there are concerns about the inequality of the recovery and the quality of some of the BPO jobs.

The country embraces a free open market economy and as a result, has seen tangible improvements in its welfare, compared to T&T, hoping for long-term high energy prices, when it knows those prices are cyclical and will soon come to an end. Unlike Jamaica, TT continued to utilise way too much of annual budgetary expenditure on transfers and subsidies. Not only are these inimical to the interest of the country, but they give a false sense of expectation to the population that they will continue indefinitely and when the country can no longer afford them, leads to an even more difficult adjustment for the most vulnerable.

The PNM regime must improve governance and see the private sector as a partner in development and not in competition with the numerous crippled state enterprises.
National Flour Mills announced a sudden increase in flour prices. It should have been expected as grain prices soared on account of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The question is why is a state company involved in the importation of wheat and production of flour? This can be done by the private sector. Is the NFM cost structure in keeping with an efficiently run company? Monopoly and oligopoly situations dominating this economy, must yield to free and open market competition.

Jamaica has its focus on attracting foreign direct investment and on public-private partnership (PPP). They see it as crucial to mobilising capital that may not be readily available in the country. T&T’s focus for FDI has been almost exclusively in the energy sector, with the regulations for the special economic zones not even drafted. Jamaica has shown how to get significant infrastructure projects without the government building it. Its major highway systems are examples of this. One wonders if this approach would have been better for the now 12-year-old attempt to build a highway to Point Fortin and the South West Peninsula. However, the PRC/PLA BRI investment may be a debt-trap.

Jamaica handed over the running of its two major airports to the private sector, which is now investing in their expansion because private capital goes where it gets its best return.
T&T has to pivot from over-reliance on its energy sector and to realise that if its economy is attracting investment in many sectors and growing, then the risk of a meltdown is significantly reduced.

In an IMF study on how beneficial Foreign Direct Investment for Developing Countries is done by Prakash Loungani and Assaf Razin, it was found that FDI allows the transfer of technology—particularly in the form of new varieties of capital inputs—that cannot be achieved through financial investments or trade in goods and services. FDI can also promote competition in the domestic input market.  Recipients of FDI often gain employee training in the course of operating the new businesses, which contributes to human capital development in the host country and profits generated by FDI contribute to corporate tax revenues in the host country.

“International flows of capital reduce the risk faced by owners of capital by allowing them to diversify their lending and investment. Second, the global integration of capital markets can contribute to the spread of best practices in corporate governance, accounting rules, and legal traditions. Third, the global mobility of capital limits the ability of governments to pursue bad policies. In addition to these advantages, which in principle apply to all kinds of private capital inflows.”

Jamaica has always played a leadership role in the region. In the present set up with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley being the titular leader of the region, Guyana, by the sheer size of its resources, inclusive of land-space, now emerging as an economic powerhouse and Jamaica showing what good economic policy can achieve, T&T’s Government must rise from its proverbial slumber and chart a course forward that will combine sound economic policy with a commitment to a free-market economy, fiscal discipline and bold vision.

Only then will TT regain confidence like the Jamaicans, boldly celebrating their 60th anniversary of independence this year, while TT pretends that a major event is not approaching.

 

 

Copper kills coronavirus

Copper is a viricide and one of the few materials that kills coronavirus. The red metal is being targeted by thieves.

Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) is worried about the increase and boldness of copper theft, now affecting Port of Spain businesses that are losing copper lines and tubes attached to air conditioning units to the illegal trade.

DOMA issued a statement noting that an entire 24,000 BTU unit was taken from a business. When stolen copper lines are replaced, thieves return and steal them again.

TSTT issued a strongly worded warning in May to copper thieves after a spate of thefts of copper lines. Despite police action that brought 161 people to court for stealing copper cable, and the risk involved in removal of the cabling, by people unqualified to do so safely, TSTT continues to suffer a significant increase in copper line theft.

A report on the scrap-metal industry noted that copper sells for export recycling at a rate of between $19 and $21 per pound. The price of copper has risen 125 per cent since March 2020 as copper mining and production slowed and demand rose.

That report described a business regulated by the outdated Old Metal and Marine Stores Act of 1904, which holds 130 licensed scrap-metal dealers to very general rules of operation and does not govern the activities of scrap-metal collectors.

Copper is only an attractive target for theft if there is a ready market for stolen goods and theft of the metal is not only a problem in TT. In the US, since 2013 the FBI has been tracking the increase in copper theft, which it describes as threatening infrastructure. Copper theft in the US has been estimated by the Department of Energy to cost as much as US$1 billion a year.

Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzalez lamented the theft of copper pipes and brass fittings from WASA, which are often crudely removed, leading to utility outages. Mr Gonzales is right to describe the widespread thefts as “madness,” but continuing to talk about the problem and threaten brazen thieves is another kind of lunacy.

Progressive ideas about the problem have come from Allan Ferguson, head of the Scrap Iron Dealers Association, who called for a shutdown of sales of scrap copper to prevent and investigate the theft of material. An industry-wide rejection of copper coils from air conditioning units and copper cabling without proper papers to establish their provenance would be a good place to start.

The most successful efforts at reducing copper theft have proven to be a mix of anti-theft measures and collaboration between the police and recyclers to identify and reject trade in suspect material. The buyers and importers may also be to blame.

 

 

TT-based company denied certificate to operate in Guyana

Ramps hopes for licence to operate in energy sector

RAMPS Logistics is optimistic that a situation in which its Guyana subsidiary was denied a local content certificate to operate in the energy sector will be resolved.  Company CEO Shaun Rampersad expressed this hope at a news conference in Georgetown.

Ramps said Guyana’s recently passed local content act indicates that a company must have a local content certificate to operate in its energy sector. Ramps followed all of the required guidelines to apply for the certificate but its application made a week ago was denied.

Rampersad reiterated those points. He said Ramps has a culture of transparency and it abides fully with Guyana’s laws and, against this background, all the information needed to obtain a local content certificate was submitted to Guyana’s local content secretariat. This included proof that 51 per cent of the company’s Guyana subsidiary, Ramps Guyana, is Guyanese-owned.

Ramps’ Guyana subsidiary met the requirements for 75 per cent of its managerial staff and 90 per cent of its total staff to be Guyanese nationals. Despite doing all that was needed of it, Ramps did not get a detailed response from the secretariat about why its application was denied.

“We got stone-cold silence.”

Recalling that Ramps has been operating in Guyana since 2013, Rampersad said the company remains committed to investing in Guyana. He attributed that commitment to Guyana’s growing attraction as a business hub owing to its emerging energy sector. The company is having conversations with local stakeholders on improvements to air and sea freight into Guyana, both important logistics to help Guyana’s energy sector.

Rampersad said, “We’ll continue to do what we’re doing. Ramps will continue its efforts to speak with the secretariat and local authorities to resolve this matter.”

Expressing confidence in Guyana’s legal system, Rampersad said legal action would only be considered as a last resort if all other efforts fail to provide a solution.

“With the company employing over 400 workers in Guyana, the majority of them being Guyanese, we are committed to invest in Guyana.”

The company plans to further expand its Guyana operations over the next three years. Ramps customers who do business in Guyana are also eager for a resolution. Rampersad suggested the local content secretariat liaise with foreign companies operating in Guyana to better understand the application process for local content certificates. This was something Ramps would be looking at with respect to its Guyana subsidiary.

Company regional logistics specialist Brandi Archer, who is Guyanese, joined Ramps as a sales administrator in 2018 and worked her way up to her current position. Archer thanked Rampersad and other company officials for being a mentor to her and other Guyanese nationals who work for Ramps.

“It hurts to think this could be the end of it. We don’t want it to end here.”

Archer promised to do what she could to help resolve this matter.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat said he was unaware of the decision to deny the licence to Ramps.

“I know they applied but I will have to get the information from the secretariat. But if you do not meet the criteria – any company, as a matter of fact, and not Ramps alone, but any company – if they don’t reach the criteria as stated in the legislation, then we can’t approve.”

However, this decision appears grossly unjust and the sooner Ramps gets the certificate, the better for the petroleum industry in Guyana and Caricom

 

 

Gerry Gouveia- Law recognizes rights of Guyanese

Jun 25, 2022

The  Local Content Secretariat has not disclosed why it recently denied Trinidadian divested oil and gas support company, Ramps Logistics (Guyana) its local content certificate, but arguments abound over the Guyanese partner not being ‘Guyanese enough’.

Ramps Logistics reported two days ago, that the livelihoods of some 400 workers are at risk, since it was refused a local content certificate to operate within the oil and gas sector.

It was discovered that Ramps was fined $20M by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for failing to seek clearance for one of its motor vessels to depart Guyana with cargo and this could have contributed to the issue the company currently faces.

Ramps, has since made public its response to the GRA. But the dominating contention for most involved is the manner in which foreign companies are now using Guyanese nationals to fulfill their local content requirement for the company to be 51 percent locally owned.

Ramps provided detailed information regarding Deepak Lall, a Trinidadian born with strong Guyanese roots who purchased 51 percent of Ramps Guyana for US$1M, making it 51 percent Guyanese owned. The issue however, is that Lall’s father and grandfather are Guyanese and he, outside of the oil and gas company had very little to do with the country.
Lall would have received his Guyanese passport last year. He was described as a Guyanese national, but some believe this was conveniently pursued to fulfill the 51 percent requirement.

The Georgetown Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in a public missive had called scenarios such as the one explained above “fronting” or “rent-a-citizen”.
The body said that local participation in the oil sector must be done, “in a manner that engenders meaningful and genuine partnerships” to ensure that benefits not just go to Guyanese owners, but to Guyana as well.

“Fronting has the potential to reduce the amount of value which accrues to Guyana and runs counter to the spirit and intent of the Local Content Act.”

Eminent local businessman Captain Gerry Gouveia views the matter differently. He believes that by law, a “Guyanese is Guyanese” regardless of how they became a citizen and that no Guyanese is more Guyanese than another. Gouveia who currently holds a government position at State House, said he has not been associated with his company, Roraima Airways since taking the post, but his son has a partnership with Ramps Guyana called Arapaima Logistics Inc. providing cargo, ocean freight, and air logistics.

Gouveia, who served both the GCCI and Private Sector Commission (PSC) as President and Chairman respectively, said that President Irfaan Ali, GoInvest and the Private Sector have gone global encouraging overseas based Guyanese to return home but we have become arrogant and inhospitable to foreign businesses now that we have found oil.

The Private Sector’s slogan was to “remove the red tape and Lay out the red carpet” for Investors, as part of creating an enabling environment to welcome foreign direct investment.

“We at that time wanted to create jobs for our young people, proper paying jobs but the local Private Sector did not have the capacity to create enough jobs for our young people coming out of the school systems every year, so the young people were leaving for other countries looking for jobs.”

We cannot be changing the rules, the meaning and moving the goal post as a matter of subjective and convenient personal preferences,” Gouveia said in a Facebook post.
He was adamant, “we must set out in very clear and unambiguous terms what is required to qualify and meet the local content bench marks.”

According to Gouveia, “we should not have to be rich or well known or well connected for a foreign company looking to include Guyanese in their business as a means of meeting the local content criteria, to be invited and become included as an ordinary Guyanese citizen…”

President Ali is committed to creating a Guyana, where every Guyanese, “regardless of where you came from geographically, your race, your gender, your political preferences, your religious belief, must have equal access to the opportunities created by good fortune in Guyana.”

As such, the fact that Deepak, the investor from Trinidad only received his Guyanese passport last year does not matter. The man is Guyanese by heritage and it should not matter when he chose to get his documentation.

According to Gouveia, it doesn’t matter where the person grew up, or how long they became a citizen, “all citizens are equal.”

A senior Private Sector executive said that Ramps is not the only company denied the local content certificate.

“We were told that a number of companies were denied.” The source noted however, that Ramps should get an explanation as to why they were denied, “but they are not the only company the secretariat is dealing with.

Private persons support of the vetting of the companies by the secretariat because if foreign companies get around the local content provisions easily, it would mean fewer benefits for Guyana. This is pure claptrap.

Ramps Logistics is one of the companies accused of bundling logistics contracts to secure more work. The Private Sector official said that logistics is a wide area with various services and bundling of logistics contracts means only one contractor is providing a large amount of the services but Guyana is a competitive democracy.

As for the GRA fine, Ramps Communication Officer said that the matter was “completely settled between the GRA and company’s legal team.” We all hope good sense will prevail and Guyana will do the honourable thing.

 

 

TAPSEC

On behalf of Simon Zellner and the Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean (TAPSEC) Team, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your attendance and participation in

Power Through Partnership TAPSEC
Technical Conference and Closing Ceremony

A special thank you to our panelists and speakers for lending your expertise through your valuable contributions!

We have always considered partnership to be the strength of our programme and the spark behind its success. May strong collaboration continue to transform our beautiful Caribbean!