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‘Become the next big thing’ – Min. Nicolette Henry challenges girls

Nicolette Henry
Minister in the Ministry of Education, Guyana, the Hon. Nicolette Henry

CARICOM:  Girls and women across the Region have been challenged to become the next “big thing” in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The challenge was thrown out last week by Minister in the Ministry of Education, Guyana, the Hon. Nicolette Henry as she addressed a forum on Girls in ICT in Georgetown, Guyana. The event at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre was held as part of the observances to mark Girls in ICT Day 2016 on 28 April.

We believe that our young people here in Guyana and the Caribbean are just as creative as those anywhere in the world, and we want you to become the next ‘big thing’; the innovator who develops a social media platform that’s bigger and more relevant than Twitter, Instagram and Facebook,” Minister Henry emphasised.


Pointing to the scope for women in the ICT field, the Minister acknowledged to the scores of girls and women at the forum that there was still a lot of work to be done to sensitise them to careers involving ICTs and to equip them with the requisite skills to enter those technologically-driven fields. It was her hope that in Guyana and the Caribbean, more girls and women would occupy top positions in the ICT industry.
Minister Henry also recognised the need for more targeted ICT interventions in education, business, aviation and maritime, tourism, sport and cultural industries.

There are many new and exciting ICT careers in app development, animation, robotics, gaming, marketing and sales, which offer non-traditional careers paths and new ways of developing your skills, while contributing to the development of Guyana and the CARICOM Region,

she added.
Statistics from the International Communication Union (ITU) indicate that less than 30 per cent of the ICT workforce are women; 19 per cent of ICT entrepreneurs are women; nine per cent of app developers in Europe are women; Only 20 per cent of European women aged 30 have who have ICT-related degrees work in the ICT sector; 19 per cent of ICT managers are women; 10 per cent of corporate officer positions in Fortune 500 technology companies are held by women; and five per cent of IT patents are held by women in the US.

Reflection Time For Trade Unions

Freundel Stuart, Esther Byer, Hartley Reid
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Labour Minister, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo chatting with Hartley Reid (C.Pitt/BGIS)

BARBADOS:  Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has called on the trade union movement to reflect on those industrial relations practices which must be retained, reclaimed or gotten rid of as soon as possible.

Mr. Stuart made the comments yesterday while addressing the annual Barbados Workers’ Union’s May Day Celebrations at Browne’s Beach.
He urged the trade unionists to reflect on the industrial relations practices over the last 50 years that were lost, but needed to be urgently reclaimed.
He asked: “What is it in our industrial relations practice that we have not lost over the last 50 years and we need at all cost to try and retain? And what is it in our industrial relations practice that we have not lost over the last 50 years and that we need to get rid of as soon as possible because it does not promote the best interest of the trade union movement or of the workers themselves?
“This is a period for reflection; it is a period to do an audit on where we are, how we got here, and where we want to go when we leave here. We can only do that by asking ourselves questions and answering ourselves honestly.”
The Prime Minister expressed the view that those questions applied, not only to the trade union movement, but to the church, the school system, employers’ organisations and the country generally.
Mr. Stuart said there were many mountains ahead that governments and trade unions had to climb. Admitting that there were issues between labour and capital that had to be resolved, he expressed confidence that they could embark on the process of solving them with level headedness.
“There are many issues in education, there will be issues in health, there will be issues in water and there will be issues in every sector of the national life … There are always going to be issues that we have to confront as partners in this tripartite arrangement.
But I count on the maturity and commonsense of our trade union leadership and the commonsense and level headedness of the workers of Barbados to see us through all of the challenges ahead…,” he stressed.
sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb

Urban Areas Should Be Seen As Investment

Dennis Kellman
Housing Minister, Dennis Kellman. (FP)

BARBADOS:  Housing Minister Denis Kellman has challenged Barbadians to see urban areas as a means of investment, capable of creating and generating wealth.

Speaking at the Real Estate Expo, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre over the weekend, Mr. Kellman said that while research showed that the majority of the world’s population now lived in urban areas, within Barbados there was an exodus from these areas.
This may be attributed, he said, to how these areas were designed and managed, as well as the influence or impact of negatives such as congestion, the creation of slums and crime. Additionally, he said, rural areas were now being seen as offering better opportunities.
However, the Minister submitted that the situation could be turned around through the introduction of creative and sustainable ideas and solutions… “from investing and beautifying our cities, to the incorporation of tourism that is developed and managed in such a way that it benefits the resident population and does not contribute to the worsening of the urban environment, but rather to its enhancement”.
An important area of investment, he suggested, was the conversion of derelict or unused properties to commercial usage to help with growing tourism demands; or alternatively as housing solutions. Mr. Kellman told the real estate professionals attending the expo that he was interested in hearing their ideas about the future of urban Barbados.
This input, he said, would help shape the Ministry’s Plan of Action which will introduce specific programmes leading to policies and strategies for Barbados’ urban areas over the next 20 years. This Plan of Action is among documents Barbados will be taking to the HABITAT III Conference in Quito, Ecuador, in October.
joycspring@gmail.com

Board of Directors of invesTT Limited appointed

Board of Directors of invesTT Limited
Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon (c), along with Mr. Norris Herbert, Permanent Secretary (Ag.) (r) with members of Board of Directors of invesTT Limited l-r Janelle Penny Commissiong, Amalia Maharaj, Moonilal Lalchan, Chairman of the Board, Sharon Christopher, and Petal-Ann Roberts (Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Trade and Industry)

TRINIDAD:  

Board of Directors of invesTT Limited
Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon (c), along with Mr. Norris Herbert, Permanent Secretary (Ag.) (r) with members of Board of Directors of invesTT Limited l-r Janelle Penny Commissiong, Amalia Maharaj, Moonilal Lalchan, Chairman of the Board, Sharon Christopher, and Petal-Ann Roberts (Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Trade and Industry)

May 2, 2016: Members of the Board of Directors of invesTT Limited were presented with their instruments of appointment by Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry on Monday 2nd May, 2016 at the Ministry’s Port of Spain Head Office.

In her welcome remarks to the newly appointed Board, Senator Gopee-Scoon thanked the Directors for their willingness to serve.
Newly appointed Chairman, Moonilal Lalchan is the Vice-President-Finance and Administration at Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago, and the Immediate Past President of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
 
The Board of Directors include:

  • Mr. Moonilal Lalchan – Chairman
  • Ms. Janelle Penny Commissiong
  • Ms. Sharon Christopher
  • Ms. Amalia Maharaj
  • Ms. Petal-Ann Roberts
  • Mr. Gary Hunt
Gopee-Scoon, Moonilal Lalchan
Minister Gopee-Scoon presents the instrument of appointment to invesTT Limited Chairman, Mr. Moonilal Lalchan

Sport Ministry sponsors students for GYLC 2016

GYLC Students
Five of the nine students who were sponsored by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference 2016. (Photo courtesy the Ministry of Sport)

GYLC Students
Five of the nine students who were sponsored by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference 2016. (Photo courtesy the Ministry of Sport)

TRINIDAD:  May 2, 2016: The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs was pleased to support the participation of nine students to attend the 2016 Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC). Students from Holy Name Convent, St Joseph Covent, Trinity College East, Holy Faith Covent, and St. Stephen’s College received funding from the Ministry on Friday 29th April, 2016 at the Ministry’s Head Office.
The Ministry has been sponsoring students to attend this international programme for over the past 12 years. This is in keeping with the mandate of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, to encourage youth leadership by facilitating and developing young leaders and to ultimately establish a Youth Leadership Development Institution that would provide training and interactive seminars to youth in leadership development.
The GYLC is a ten day leadership programme, which caters to young people between the ages of 15- 19 years. It offers an opportunity to explore cultural differences, gain first-hand exposure to the challenges of international diplomacy, build confidence, and enhance decision-making skills in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
Students participating in this programme will be expected on their return to submit individual reports on their experience. They will also be required to make a presentation to a group of young people, at which time they would get the opportunity to share what they have learnt from the entire experience.
Minister Smith advised the students to take mental pictures of their experiences and to use this opportunity to observe and learn best practices, which can be implemented in Trinidad and Tobago.

Sport Minister speaks at the Golden Anniversary of the Eddie Hart League for Football

Darryl Smith, Edward Hart
Former Tunapuna MP, Edward Hart (right) presents the Minister of Sport, the Honourable Darryl Smith with a token of appreciation. At the podium - NCC Chairman, Kenny de Silva. (Photo courtesy the Min. of Sport and Youth Affairs)

TRINIDAD:  May 2, 2016: The Honourable Minister Darryl Smith, delivered the feature address at the launch of the 2016 season of the Eddie Hart League for Football (EHLFF), on 29th April 2016, 11:00 am, at the NCC VIP Lounge, Queens Park Savannah.
 
The League was established in 1967 and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017. Over the years, the league has pursued a mission to engage youths from east Trinidad in competitive sport while advancing community, youth and sport development and professionalism. The EHLFF has produced quite notable players in its years of existence from cricket icons like Brian Lara to football greats like Russell Latapy. The league has brought about social solidarity in the community, nationally and regionally.
 
The Minister reiterated that the mandate of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is to encourage youth in all aspects of sustainable development of this nation. For him, sport is a mechanism to bring people together and develop communities as a whole. He advocated the need for sponsorship of this type of programme and the development of the programme across Trinidad and Tobago. He commended pioneer, Edward Hart, for the heart of service to youth and the community through sport.

Food Safety Fisheries Initiative for the CARICOM

Trainees
Trainees inspect various products from fish for the fashion, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
trainees
Business network leader tells trainees about approaches for innovation and creation of new products

Building the Caribbean’s muscle to ensure safe seafood and to protect and grow US$400 million in fisheries exports

The Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures Project is supported by the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) under the programme entitled “Support to the Caribbean Forum of the ACP States in the Implementation of the Commitments Undertaken under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA): Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures”. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is executing the project in collaboration with the CRFM.
 

Business network leader
Business network leader tells trainees about approaches for innovation and creation of new products

Belize City, Monday, 2 May 2016 (CRFM)—Caribbean countries have a living bank of marine resources from which they collectively cash out hundreds of millions of dollars a year to support emerging national economies by providing good jobs, food and foreign exchange, among other benefits. However, in order to remain active and competitive in the global marketplace, countries have had to find ways to surmount the challenges posed by stringent international standards called sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, for food safety and for protection against diseases carried animals and plants.
Under an EU-funded SPS Measures Project, the ability of Caribbean countries to effectively address those challenges is being strengthened through initiatives such as specialized training for those gatekeepers who help to ensure the safety of both imported and exported foods.
 
The project has reached a new milestone, as a group of professionals from CARIFORUM States—the countries which make up the Caribbean Community, as well as the Dominican Republic—has just concluded The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Management Course. The intensive two-week training, held at the United Nations University – Fisheries Training Programme (UNU-FTP) in Reykjavik, Iceland, was organized under the capacity building component of the project.
 
“I am very pleased that the 18 senior officials from our Member States were able to participate in this important training opportunity to strengthen public sector capacities to effectively manage sanitary and phytosanitary systems for fish and seafood,” said Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the agency coordinating the fisheries sub-component of the project.
 
CARIFORUM States are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
The Caribbean is looking at the Icelandic example to not just bolster its SPS regime, but also to expand the range of value added products from fish, and strengthen the value chain to maximize benefits across the spectrum, from fisher to processor to exporter. All along that chain, adherence to new SPS measures—which are taking shape with plans to establish harmonized legislation across CARIFORUM States—will be vital in helping to secure the region’s position on the global market.
There is a lot at stake. CARIFORUM countries exported nearly US$400 million worth of seafood and other marine products around the globe in 2015, with their biggest trading partners being the US and the EU, respectively.
Official trade data from those jurisdictions indicate that CARIFORUM States exported in excess of US$210 million worth of finfish, lobster and conch, as well as value added products such as fish sauces, to the USA in 2015. Additionally, they exported roughly US$75 million worth of marine products to the EU, the region’s second largest seafood trading partner, during the same time.

Minister Moses Highlights T&T's Strong Bilateral Relationship with the Netherlands

Dennis Moses
Minister Moses delivers statement at reception on the occasion of Kings Day, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. (Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs)

TRINIDAD:  May 2, 2016: Senator the Honourable Dennis Moses, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs highlighted the strong bilateral relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and the Netherlands at the reception hosted to commemorate Kings Day by His Excellency Jules Bijl, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Trinidad and Tobago on 27th April, 2016.

During his statement Minister Moses informed of the multifaceted bilateral relationship between both countries which involves cooperation in a number of areas, including trade and economic cooperation and meaningful collaboration in the fields of security, energy, education, sport, culture and technical assistance. He stated that it was his “expectation that this collaboration will only continue to deepen and expand.”
Focussing on the issue of Climate Change, Minister Moses highlighted that the transatlantic span of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, lying partly in Europe and partly in the Caribbean allows them to share with Trinidad and Tobago and the other small islands of the CARICOM region, a keen understanding of the issues of vulnerability and the effects of climate change, as it affect Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Minister Moses also noted the signature by the Netherlands along with Trinidad and Tobago and 172 other countries, of the Paris Climate Change Agreement recently at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which he pointed out was a watershed moment for humanity today and for generations to come.

New Petroleum Prices From Midnight May 1

Pumping Gas

BARBADOS:  Consumers will pay more for gasoline, diesel, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from midnight, Sunday, May 1.

The retail price of gasoline will move from Bds$2.63 to Bds$2.79, an increase of 16 cents per litre.
The price of diesel will rise from Bds$1.83 per litre to Bds$1.88, an increase of five cents. Kerosene will now retail at 84 cents per litre, an increase of one cent.
In addition, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will retail at Bds$152.99 per 100 lbs cylinder, an increase of $2.43 cents.
The 25 lbs cylinder will now cost $43.35, an increase of 61 cents, while the 22 lbs cylinder will now be retailed at $38.31, up by 53 cents. The new price of a 20 lbs cylinder is $34.83, an increase of 49 cents.
These adjustments in retail prices are due solely to changes in the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) of these refined products.

JHTA and JTB drive tourism development through JAPEX

JAPEX

JAMAICA:  MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA, May 1 – Officials from the Jamaica Tourist and Hotel Association (JHTA) and Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) counted on “the Expo effect” to bring a windfall of hundreds of millions that trickled through all areas of the Jamaican economy at the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) held over the weekend at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

Event organisers called on the industry to help build on the momentum gained from the event. The JHTA said they’re looking to forge partnerships with other elements of the private sector to meet the ambitious targets for investment and job creation in the next few years.
More than 160 travel agents, hoteliers, allied members and small and medium sized enterprises in the industry attended the event.
Camille Needham, Executive Director of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association highlighted the importance of JAPEX in generating ideas and said that new business projects will be implemented in the sector the in coming months after JAPEX to ensure sustained activity in the industry. Needham said that the challenges that trouble the region, including water scarcity, a need for education and more jobs, could be met through a combined effort.
“To confront these issues there must be partnerships at every level to foster innovation, ensure the right kind of education, mentor our poorest or weakest citizens and in so doing build sustainable businesses that can work with us, in collaboration, to create the future we envision,” she said. The event will help in strengthening the positioning of the tourism offerings to the summer and winter tourist seasons.
“Overall JAPEX has always left behind a strong transformative social and economic legacy across the island,” according to the President of the JHTA, Nicola Madden-Greig.
The event’s success hinges on attracting an estimated 500 people who operate within the Caribbean, Latin America (LATAM), North American and European tourism markets organisers said.
The country’s growing transport links, boosted by the building of highways and the newly opened Kingston to Ocho Rios leg, the development of airports will help boost trade and attract more businesses and investment from these regions.

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