BARBADOS: Government’s progress with respect to the Skills for the Future (SFTF) programme will once again come under the microscope when the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) team visits the island from Monday, April 11 to Friday, April 15, to conduct an Administrative Mission.
A key objective of the mission will be to review the status of various components of the loan, particularly that related to the Competency Based Training Fund (CBTF) and arrangements for a fourth cycle of partnership training under this Fund.
The team led by Education Lead Specialist, Dr. Sabine Reible-Aubourg, along with officials of the Ministry, will visit, interact and follow up with several winning partnerships which have gained funding from the CBTF, since 2014.
Two such partnerships to be visited on Wednesday, April 13 are the Barbados Youth Business Trust and CILC Action Coach, at BYBT Pinfold Street, St. Michael, and Nature Care and Assymetrix Consulting, at Searles, Christ Church.
Discussions will also centre on the procurement budget; resource availability and the school improvement grants. There will also be a review of the status of teacher training for competency based training.
An impact evaluation of the A Ganar programme will form part of the mission and it is expected that the GOB/IDB team will examine the use of grant funding provided recently to A Ganar by the United States Agency for International Development.
Meetings will be held with the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, the Higher Education Development Unit, the Barbados Statistical Service and the Caribbean Examinations Council.
The Skills for the Future Programme, which was signed by the Government of Barbados in 2012, is being executed by the Ministry of Education, Science Technology and Innovation. It is funded by the IDB under a US $20 Million loan agreement.
joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb
IDB Administrative Mission April 11-15
Not Afraid Of Criticism Says Inniss
BARBADOS: Commerce Minister, Donville Inniss, has taken his critics to task, and has told them that he is not afraid of criticism and he will continue to work towards the best interest of the country, especially when it comes to outlining a national vision for our commercial sector.
Speaking at the launch of Standard Distribution & Sales (Barbados) Limited in Norman Centre, the City, this morning, Mr. Inniss told attendees that he took his job seriously and was not afraid to publicly, but constructively, be critical of our systems that inhibit the growth and development of key sectors in Barbados.
“Barbados must be known as a cost effective location for a wide range of high quality products catering to the needs of locals and visitors alike. This can only be attained and sustained if the state provides the best enabling environment for businesses to function in an efficient manner,” he charged.
He continued that he was in fact “deeply troubled,” over the systems in our public sector that “just don’t seem to work well,” and in publicly commenting on these matters, rest assured he had raised these concerns and some solutions with his colleagues.
Among his concerns, Mr. Inniss pointed out that business facilitation seemed like an elusive dream in our economy today. Noting that the length of time it took to conduct business with the Customs Department, and the matter of the transitioning of Customs into the Barbados Revenue Authority were some of the issues that needed to be addressed.
Stating that another significant problem that challenged us in providing a better enabling environment rested in the lack of accountability, Mr. Inniss stated it was evident at all levels and in all institutions.
He said: “This seems to be the new norm, letters are sent to departments and no one bothers to act on them, and failure to act is often times rewarded with an increment or a promotion. Same is said when staff cancel meetings with no explanation or an apology, with seemingly little regard for other people’s time and money. I am deeply concerned that as we get more degrees from universities and colleges we are getting less productivity in this society,” he contended.
Mr. Inniss lauded Standard Distribution & Sales for reaching the milestone of 57 years of operation in Barbados and noted that the significance of this achievement was perhaps best understood in the context of acknowledging that the roll-out of this investment came at a time when both the Barbadian and Trinidadian economies continued to be challenged.
theresa.blackman@barbados.gov.bb
Library Service Junior Kadooment Band
BARBADOS: In celebration of the island’s 50th Anniversary of Independence, the National Library Service is presenting “Our Golden Heritage,” a band for the 2016 Junior Kadooment.
Persons wishing to sign up for the Band which features six sections, available from Monday, April 18, 2016, should contact the National Library Service, Fairchild Street at 435-0016, Monday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration closes Monday, July 11, 2016 and further information is available at the Barbados National Library Service’s Facebook page.
Register Now For Summer IT Programme
BARBADOS: Teens across the island can expect to benefit from this year’s Community Development Department’s six week Information Technology Summer Programme entitled ITS for Teens for persons 14 to 18 years old from July 11 – August 19.
In the parish of St. Michael, the programme will be held at the Deacons Resource Centre, Deacons; Grazettes Resource Centre, Grazettes Housing Road Area; Bonnetts Resource Centre, Brittons Hill; and the Parkinson Resource Centre, Pinelands.
In Christ Church, the programme will be held at the St. Christopher Resource Centre, Silver Sands and the Briar Hall Resource Centre, located in Briar Hall. The programme will also be held at the Greens Resource Centre, Greens, St. George and the Weston Resource Centre, Weston, St. James.
The venues in St Philip are the Rices Resource Centre and St. Mark’s Resource Centre, while the Speightstown Resource Centre, Sand Street, St. Peter completes the list of locations.
Individuals can register for ITS for Teens at the respective resource centres listed above. Further information may be obtained by contacting Ms Jacqueline Pinder at the Community Development Department at 310-1709.
deirdre.gittens@barbados.gov.bb
Achievements in completing Saint Lucia`s Third National Communication Programme
ST. LUCIA:
Significant Achievements in completing Saint Lucia`s Third National Communication (TNC) Programme to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Castries, Saint Lucia, April 6, 2016 – The Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, through its Sustainable Development and Environment Division, will be hosting a consultation under the Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Assessment Component of its Third National Communication (TNC) Programme to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This programme to date has completed two critical components namely a “Greenhouse Gas Inventory” and a “Mitigation to Climate Change Assessment”.
Sector Consultations under the V&A Assessment Component were held with stakeholders from4th -6th April 2016. These were;
- The Agriculture sector including livestock and crop farmers, fisher folk as well as technical and extension officers of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries, Cooperatives and Rural Development;
- The Water sector including stakeholders from the Water and Sewerage Company, the National Utility Regulatory Commission, the Water Resource Management Agency, the Forestry Division and the Meteorology Office;
- The Coastal Zone and Tourism sector including Ministry of Physical Development, Housing and Urban Renewal, the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards, the National Conservation Authority and the Soufriere Marine Management Area and the Laborie Development Foundation;
- The Human Health sector including stakeholders from the Epidemiology Unit and the Department of Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations and the Caribbean Public Health Agency; and
- The Financial Services Sector including stakeholders from the Saint Lucia Development Bank, the Insurance Council of Saint Lucia, the Ministry of Finance and the St. Lucia Civil Service Cooperative Credit Union.
The final consultation is slated for Thursday April 7th at the Orchid Conference Room situatedat the Tissue Culture Laboratory from 9:00 am to 12:30p.m. This consultation will provide information on the science of climate change, present a summary of findings on sector consultations and provide overall context of the Third National Communication Project.
The work under this programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Geothermal Community Consultation
ST. VINCENT: The St. Vincent Geothermal Company will host a community meeting on Saturday 9th April at 4:00 p.m. at the Tourama Primary School, Overland.
The purpose of the meeting is to introduce processes for livelihood restoration, where applicable, and resolution of concerns and complaints for the communities of Orange Hill and Georgetown, as well as other related stakeholders adjacent or close to the proposed drilling sites for the next phase of the project.
Company representatives will provide updates on the geothermal project, introduce the Project Grievance (Complaints) Mechanism, and the Resettlement Action Plan.
Transportation will be provided from Sandy Bay and Langley Park.
Health Parade to observe Health Week 2016
GRENADA: ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, APRIL 7, 2015, GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICE (GIS): – As Grenada observes Health Week 2016, a Health Parade, organized by the Community Nursing Division of the Ministry of Health, will highlight the week of activities. The parade takes place on Friday 8th April commencing at 12:30 pm at Victoria Park, Grenville and ending at Progress Park with a mini Symposium.
Health Week is organised to coincide with World Health Day, April 7. This year the focus is diabetes. Grenada is working with the theme, “Strengthening Prevention and Living healthy with Diabetes”. The goal of World Health Day 2016 aims at scaling up prevention, strengthening care, and enhancing surveillance. The main goals of the campaign are to:
1. Increase awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and consequences.
In keeping with the goals, Grenada has organised a series of activities to tackle the problem and to assist people living with diabetes to manage the condition so that they may enjoy better health and longer life.
The World Health Organisation reports that globally an estimated 422 million adults were living with diabetes in 2014 compared to 108 million in 1980. Additionally Diabetes caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012.
WI Cricket Teams Restored Region's Spirit
BARBADOS: Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has told members of the women’s West Indies Cricket team that they will go down in history as “restoring” the spirit of the people of the Caribbean.
Mr. Stuart made the comments to the young Barbadians last evening, as he chatted with them during the Repeat Visitors Reception at Ilaro Court.
The West Indies women and men’s teams won their World T20 championship matches in India on Sunday.
The Prime Minister told the young women that they were not just cricketers, but guardians of the aspirations and dreams of the people of the Caribbean.
“When you do well, the people in the Caribbean rejoice and feel good and when you don’t do well, the people in the Caribbean sorrow,” he stated.
Stressing that historically cricket has always been central to the people of this region, Mr. Stuart continued: “Cricket success helps people to see and believe that success in any other area of life is possible.
“You have raised expectations very high now, so we will not be content with any one-off triumph. You must remain on that trajectory for a while. You are not perfect, and things will go wrong, but it is going to be very important that you give it your best shot.”
The Prime Minister assured the young women that they could count on the support of the Government and people of Barbados, as well as the people of the region.
sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb
SSA To Launch Waste Management Project
BARBADOS: An improvement to the overall sanitation of communities, a reduction in the pile up of garbage and an improved collection service are among key objectives of a soon to be launched Highway Waste Management Pilot Project.
The project which is an initiative of the Sanitation Service Authority gets under way Monday, April 11 and is being implemented on two routes. It is scheduled to last for one month in the first instance.
Route 1 begins at Brigade House, travels through the precincts of Bridgetown and throughout the greater Bridgetown environs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning at 2:00 p.m. until the route is completed.
The second route is divided into two parts. The first starts at Rock Hall, St. Philip and ends at the Roundabout at the bottom of University Drive, via Highway 7 (the South Coast Road).
The second will continue from the roundabout at the bottom of University Drive, on to the Cement Plant in St. Lucy, via Highway 1. This will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, beginning at 6:00 p.m. until the route is completed.
The public is asked to note that the regular scheduled pick-up services will continue as usual. Residents living in the areas where the pilot project is being executed are asked to put out their garbage as usual and to look out for collection on the normal, scheduled collection days. All trucks taking part in the pilot project will be marked for identification purposes.
For further information about the Highway Waste Management Pilot Project, persons are asked to call 430-5006or 430-5000.
aisha.reid@barbados.gov.bb
Symposium On Cultural Industries In May
BARBADOS is “seizing the moment” through the development of the Cultural Industries.
This view was expressed by Director of the Cultural Industries Development Authority (CIDA), Andrea King, while speaking earlier today at a Media Launch for the upcoming Cultural Industries Development Symposium.
According to the Director, the cultural industries are indeed the next frontier for the economic development of Barbados.
“This is the moment when most major sectors are underwhelming in their performance. This is the moment when our country has to look to its last natural resource for economic sustenance and sustainability. That last natural resource is the creativity of Barbadians,” she stated.
In acknowledging the importance of the cultural industries, CIDA has crafted a symposium to focus on the key areas needed to monetize and improve the economic viability of the cultural and creative industries.
The symposium, which will run from Thursday, May 5 to Sunday, May 8, will deal with a range of topics aimed at further developing the business savvy of persons in the cultural industries.
Among the subjects to be explored are: using value of intellectual property as financial collateral; taking your fashion and apparel to market; taking your festivals and music to market; and film distribution.
Presenters include: Founder of the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, Frances-Ann Solomon; four-time Emmy Award winning Director and Record Producer, Nick Nanton; and writer and Producer of Music, Peter Coppin. Interested persons are encouraged to register for the symposium on or before Monday, April 25.
jamal.weekes@barbados.gov.bb
