The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has extended congratulations to Antigua and Barbuda as the country observes its Thirty-Eighth Anniversary of Independence on 1 November 2019.
CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, in a congratulatory message to Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne, said the theme for this year’s celebration, “Antigua and Barbuda: Embracing our National Pride”, reflects the sentiment of patriotism that inspires the continued commitment of the government and people in their pursuit of the sustainable development of their country.
The Secretary-General praised Antigua and Barbuda’s leadership of the services sector, its portfolio within the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet, noting that it has driven the Community’s development and protection of its interest in that field.
He said the Community also looks forward to Antigua and Barbuda’s continued leadership and advocacy on the issues regarding correspondent banking and de-risking.
Antigua & Barbuda Independence Anniversary
Corporate Warfare Futsal celebrates major milestones
As the 2019 Corporate Warfare Futsal Competition reaches its midway point, the team celebrated many milestones last weekend including crowning a new Group Finals Knockout winner, a spirited Digicel Celebrity Futsal Competition and presented the results of the live group draw.
The TimeOut Entertainment team alongside partner Digicel presented two new team leaders for this year’s charity event. Digicel Celebrity Futsal Competition featured Daren Sammy, beloved Saint Lucian Cricketer and Lamar Sifflet, half of the Verve/Xuvo dynamic duo who supported the St. Lucia Crisis Centre and Celebral Palsy respectively. The first leg of the charity game was played on Saturday 18th October at the Beausejour Indoor Facility to a packed venue. Fans were able to get up close and personal with team members who include local Artistes, internationally based footballer Zane and Saint Lucian Rapper living in the UK, John Michael Compton aka JLucia. After an energised game, Team Lamar which was missing quite a few of its key players, were outnumbered and outpowered by Team Sammy and ultimately succumbed to a 6 to 1 defeat at the final call.
For Daren Sammy, who jumped at the chance to be part of this incredible event stated, “We are super excited that we won and entertained the crowd. The level of camaraderie in the group is impressive and we are looking forward to the second match up this December. The two charities will be the winner ultimately.”
Lamar Sifflet, no stranger to events and a fervent believer in giving back stated. “Although we lost, we take solace in knowing that our team played honourably despite our numbers, and promise to return stronger in the next round. At the end of it all, we are doing it for charity and we must keep shining a light on the individual causes for the betterment of them all”
For the charity event, TimeOut Entertainment and Digicel have both added $1000 each to the pot, WLBL donated an additional $500 and Lamar Sifflet and Daren Sammy will match the amounts to ensure the charities receive a good payout.
For Lionel John, TimeOut Entertainment Coordinator, he states, “We are extremely fortunate to have amazing partners like Digicel and this charity component is a great way to give back to the country. To ensure that neither charity loses out, the winner will receive 60% of the pot, while the other team will receive 40% towards his charity”.
On the same night the Ministry of Infrastructure walked away with a $1000 cheque and the winner against Sandals Grande in a nail-biting, head to head match up in the Group Knock Out Finals. Minutes before the final whistle, Sandals Grande was unable to equalize.
The TimeOut team also conducted the live draw for the groups with the following results:
Group A: KFC, Ferrands and JQ Motors
Group B: WASCO, Velox and Saint Lucia Distillers
Group C: WLBL DBC, Statesman 758 and Johnsons Hardware
Group D: Sandals Grande, PCD and Plant Grow Eat
Group E: Digicel, Small Business Owners and Unicomer
Group F: Flow, CSA and Top Ranking
Group G: Infrastructure, SLTCC and Beachcomber
Group H: SLTU, KM2 and Bankers Association
Group stage starts on Wednesday 30th October. Next celebrity match is scheduled for Friday 6th December with the finals on Saturday 7th December 2019. Not to be missed!
Corporate Warfare Futsal is backed by Presenting Sponsors TimeOut Entertainment; Gold sponsors Lucelec, Coca Cola, Digicel (the official Celebrity Match sponsor); Silver Sponsors Courts, Crystal Clear, GK Insurance, Climax, Val Ferry, Exel Signs, Zippy Freight Shipping and AdVizze Consulting Inc (the official Public Relations Sponsor); Supporting Sponsors Renwick, Guinness, Concept Factory, Dazzle, Alibi Entertainment, Choice TV, Bex Photo Pro, RCI, Everyday Smiles, etc
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all game highlights, updates and match fixtures @timeoutntertainment or contact a representative for more information.
Please contact:
Lionel John on timeoutntertainment@gmail.com or 715-9434 Hamish Edwards on timeoutntertainment@gmail.com or 724-6791
PM Harris fake social media pages
The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, wants to alert the public about fake Facebook and social media accounts that are circulating. These sites may look genuine, but they are not.
These fake sites may use the Prime Minister’s photo and name, but their only intention is to spread misinformation through false and scandalous information.
Some of these pages are scams and will attempt to dupe you out of money. Do not trust them.
You can find the real Prime Minister Harris on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by searching for his official handle, which is @pmharriskn.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages that claim to be the Prime Minister’s, but do not have pmharriskn right after the forward slash are fake accounts. These should be reported to the respective social media sites.
You can also report fake social media accounts to presssec@gov.kn.
Facebook has verified Prime Minister Harris’ official page by placing a white check mark inside a blue circle next to the Prime Minister’s name, Dr. The Honourable Timothy Harris. This blue circle appears just above @pmharriskn.
Also be alert, if the person claiming to be either the Prime Minister or another government official asks you for money through Instant Messenger, Direct Message or any other means, this is a scam and not a real charity.
This Public Service Announcement was produced in order to help you be an informed social media user.
Protect yourself and help spread the message.
Gasoline and Diesel prices increased
The Public is hereby notified that in keeping with changes in international oil prices and Government’s application of the modified market pass-through petroleum pricing mechanism, the retail price of gasoline, diesel, LPG 20, 22 and 100 lb cylinders has changed. The retail price of kerosene remains unchanged. The price changes take effect from Monday October 21, 2019.
- Gasoline increased from $2.91 to $2.92 per litre or $13.21 to $13.28 per gallon
- Diesel increased from $2.82 to $2.94 per litre or $12.81 to $13.37 per gallon
- Kerosene remains unchanged at $1.79 per litre or $8.12 per gallon
- 20 Pound Cylinder (9.07 kg) decreased from $32.28 to $31.38 per cylinder
- 22 Pound Cylinder (9.98 kg) decreased from $35.79 to $34.79 per cylinder
- 100 Pound Cylinder (45.36kg) decreased from $205.22 to $200.71 per cylinder
The Public is informed that the next adjustment of the retail price of fuel products will be on Monday November 11, 2019.
Saint Lucian Executives To Get Leadership Training
Upwardly mobile Executives, Managers, Supervisors, Heads of Department, and Coaches in Saint Lucia will have the opportunity to benefit from a world-renowned leadership, efficiency, and personal development series, thanks to an exciting new collaboration.
The Caribbean Association of Banks Inc. (CAB) in conjunction with FranklinCovey East Caribbean – a licensee of FranklinCovey Company – will be hosting an Executive Breakfast Meeting on Thursday 24th October 2019, at Big Chef Steakhouse in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The meeting will serve as a platform to officially announce a newly formed partnership with CAB and to introduce FranklinCovey’s internationally acclaimed leadership development solutions to leaders in the Public and Private Sectors.
The theme of the Breakfast Meeting is “Creating a Winning Culture.” The event will highlight and share gems from FranklinCovey East Caribbean’s leadership training solutions as pertains to Leadership Effectiveness, Extraordinary Productivity, and Strategy Execution, including the signature programme, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
The presenters for the event are Mrs. Thecla Deterville, MBA. CMC, and Mrs. Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel, MSc, CMC, Certified FranklinCovey facilitators. The session is designed to appeal to leaders at different levels, and across various sectors of the local corporate landscape. It is anticipated that the partnership between FranklinCovey and CAB will redound to the benefit of CAB members in Saint Lucia and across the Eastern Caribbean.
Invest Saint Lucia conducts training on its Business Incubator
Invest Saint Lucia conducts training on its Business Incubator and Accelerator Model for Saint Lucia
In its continuing efforts to launch its Business Incubator and Accelerator Programme, Invest Saint Lucia (ISL), undertook a 3-day workshop from Tuesday 8th to Thursday 10th October, 2019, targeted at agencies providing business support services to the local business community.
Invest Saint Lucia’s Project Coordinator Dave Headley explained the purpose of the workshop. “The objective of the workshop was to bring in all the key players and stake holders within the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, so they can get a better appreciation and understanding of business incubation and acceleration, and how this all ties in into developing a business framework.”
The three-day training delivered key basic knowledge and skills on how to effectively manage business incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces.
Day one covered Incubation, acceleration and coworking models, and best practices. The training session provided the agencies with a better understanding of entrepreneurs, business incubation, acceleration and co-workspace models, the model proposed for Saint Lucia, best practices and success factors.
Day two covered managing incubation, acceleration and coworking under the proposed for Saint Lucia. Areas covered included understanding its purpose; developing and communicating its offerings, understanding key policies, client selection, business support services, management and governance arrangements.
The final day dealt with Ecosystem development, mentoring and the business development process and allowed the agencies to map Saint Lucia Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, develop a Mentor Network and explore how to develop and Implement a Business Development Plan.
The workshop was facilitated by Thea Chase of CREEDA Projects, who is assisting Invest Saint Lucia in the establishment of the program. She explained the model proposed for Saint Lucia.
“We have been working with Invest Saint Lucia to come up with implementation plan for a business incubator. The objective of the training that we have been doing over the past three-days is to introduce some of the concepts that are in the proposal plan that we have prepared for ISL. What we have proposed is the start-up of a business incubation and acceleration hub which is a comprehensive set of resources and enterprise platforms that supports startups and existing businesses and helps to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
According to Ms. Chase, “part of the objective and training is to dissect and look at that and what does it mean. What is an incubator, what is an accelerator, and what are the types of programs that are important and recommended to be put in place in Saint Lucia to really build this Entrepreneurial culture that is bridging here. We went through some of these platforms and what does it do? How do you run it? How do you start it? How do you establish selection criteria and the process of doing selection? How do you govern it? What kind of management needs to be in place in order to run these things.”
The agencies participating in the training spanned a wide cross section of the network of business support and included organisations as Export Saint Lucia, Bureau of Standards,Export Saint Lucia, National Skills Development Centre (NSDC), SEDU / SBDC, St. Lucia Development Bank, Southern Business Association, Saint Lucia Manufacturing Association and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
Participants engaged enthusiastically around the content and in activities. One participant, Peter Philip, Public Relations Officer of the Choiseul Arts and Craft Heritage Tourism Association, explained the value he derived from the training.
“From the three-day workshop what I have learned is how to implement the business incubator process. It is something that we have on a small scale, but this workshop is teaching you how to go on a broader scale. It will help to improve and uplift our level of doing business not only at a level where we can exhibit our work or produce on a local basis, but also to create a broader market avenue for us as well”.
Invest Saint Lucia is well on its way to launching the Business Incubator and Accelerator Programme during the first quarter of 2020.
Caribbean Export signs 3 MOUs
Caribbean Export signs three MOUs with strategic partners to support the Caribbean’s export growth.
The recently held CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum drew record numbers of senior level European and Caribbean policy makers, European buyers and Caribbean exhibitors, to the 4th hosting of the event and the first ever to be held in Frankfurt, Germany.
Three MOUs were signed between the Caribbean Export Development Agency and key stakeholders in Europe, namely, the BVMW (Der Bundesverband mittelständische Wirtschaft), the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) and the Caribbean Council.
On 26-28 September 2019, Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in collaboration with the European Union and GIZ hosted the 4th CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum. Over 200 participants witnessed the signing of the MOUs which were put in place to ensure continued success of the strategic sectors and collaboration between the two regions.
“The CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum was designed as a platform to do exactly this – to strengthen business networks and foster a closer trade and investment relationship between the Caribbean and in this case Europe” informed Anthony Bradshaw, Officer in Charge, Caribbean Export.
“The Business Forum’s main objectives are to create awareness about the EPA, to promote business opportunities and to identify key sectors that will become the economic drivers assisting both regions – but particularly the Caribbean – to reap the benefits of the EPA“
Minister of Trade and CARICOM Affairs from Grenada, the Hon. Oliver Joseph at the event’s thanked the Caribbean’s partners, the European Commission and GIZ as well as the new partners LAV, BVMW and the Caribbean Council with whom MOU’s were signed, for supporting the Caribbean in its peoples use of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA, “We need to take full advantage of this agreement. We must also realize that as a region, as small developing economies, we cannot do it alone. And so I want to thank our partners in Europe, the European Commission, the GIZ, our new friends in Germany, the LAV and the BVMW, the Caribbean Council from the UK… you are helping us and will be helping us to make the EPA work for the peoples of the Caribbean.”
“Making business work for the people of the Caribbean is our commitment as an Agency. If there is a way, we will make it happen.” Bradshaw said in closing.
CARICOM Secretariat’s targets youth Jamaica
As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat continues to work with Member States, as well as regional and international stakeholders to implement programmes aimed at improving citizen security, it is moving apace with initiatives to address recidivism and youth unemployment.
Two workshops with this purpose are being conducted in Kingston, Jamaica from the 7th to 12th October 2019 at the Medallion Hall. Their implementation results from a partnership among the CARICOM Secretariat; the Government of Jamaica’s Ministries of National Security and Education, Youth and Information; and the European Union, with funding under a CARIFORUM–EU Crime and Security Programme.
Within the framework of the Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity (CEBO) initiative, one of the workshops targets Involuntary Returned Migrants, and young people out of the juvenile justice system. It is anticipated that the transference and use of new skills among this target population, will lead to reduced youth unemployment, drug abuse, and crime and violence in society.
The other workshop will see Youth Empowerment Officers and other youth leaders participating in a Training of Trainers Workshop. The skills they acquire in this session, should build their capacity to share creativity and business information. All of the participants will receive practical guidance to create and implement business ideas.
Expert and experienced national and regional facilitators are guiding the sessions to ensure that the participants develop effective communication, decision-making and conflict resolution skills; develop short-to-medium-term self-improvement plans; and, understand how to structure a simulated company with assigned personnel and a business plan.
According to the Programme Manager for Culture and Community Development within the CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Hilary Brown, focus will be on “high energy engagement with young people.”
“They form themselves into companies, they come to the CEBO Bank to apply for a micro loan which they receive,” she said, after a successful pitch of their business ideas.
This practical approach to youth entrepreneurial skills training also involves the participants going out into field to market and sell a product or service. At the end of the exercises, they are allowed to keep the loan as well as the profits, which they can choose to use as start-up funds.
In an interview with the CARICOM Secretariat’s Communication Unit, Dr. Brown noted that several success stories have emanated from the CEBO training programme. She said Member States including The Bahamas and St. Kitts and Nevis have integrated the model into their youth programmes and conducted follow-up workshops after being introduced to the CEBO model.
The CEBO Programme was developed in 2011 by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with a regional technical working group and was started in 2012 to engage, inspire and create entrepreneurial interest and action among young CARICOM nationals in and out of school.
Describing the programme as a “regional public good” for youth training from which all Member States can benefit, Dr. Brown said two comprehensive manuals: Facilitators and Participants, have been significant outputs.
She said a partners meeting in each of the countries in this round of the CEBO programme, is an important component, against the recognition that young entrepreneurs need support from various actors including government and the private sector to be successful. Besides Jamaica, CEBO workshops are being conducted in Barbados, Belize, Haiti, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago
Since its inception, the CEBO Programme has been implemented in 13 countries. Apart from its traditional target population, this phase of its implementation is focusing on CARICOM nationals who have faced involuntary separation from other countries. This emphasis has resonance in the CARICOM Regional Crime Prevention Strategy which proposes actions to address the determinants of crime, including the re-integration of deportees.
Caribbean Congress on Adolescent and Youth Health
Region to host first Caribbean Congress on Adolescent and Youth Health, her excellency Paula-Mae Weekes ORTT, President of Trinidad and Tobago will deliver the feature address
Young people have been identified as critical to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including SDG 3 – Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages. The SDGs’ agenda and the Global Strategy for the health of Women, Children and Adolescent (GSWCAH, 2016-2030) bring new commitments and mandates that directly affect the positioning of young people in the global and regional health and development agenda.
According to 2015 estimates, there are 10.8 million young people (10-24 years) in the Caribbean, representing 25% of the total population, and 7.2 million adolescents (10-19 years), representing 17% of the total population. The Region continues to recognise the disparities in the burden of poverty, underemployment and unemployment, secondary school enrolment and completion rates, as well as the financial and societal barriers young people face to access health information and quality health services that respond to their needs. Additionally, there are especially vulnerable youth who face additional levels of marginalisation, such as adolescents with disabilities, HIV positive youth, migrant and socially-displaced adolescents, and those who identify along the LGBTQI spectrum.
It is against this backdrop that the Region will host the first Caribbean Congress on Adolescent and Youth Health in Port-of-Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on 15 – 17 October 2019. The theme of the Congress is “Championing our wealth: promoting the health and well-being of adolescents and youth in the Caribbean.”
Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes ORTT, President of Trinidad and Tobago will be the feature speaker. Ms Kim Simplis-Barrow, First Lady of Belize and Chair, Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN), Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, Trinidad and Tobago,
Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Secretary-General and Dr Carissa F. Etienne, PAHO Director are expected to deliver remarks during the opening ceremony on 14 October 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Port-of-Spain.
The congress which is organised by a consortium of regional partners, including youth leaders, is expected to increase awareness on issues that are negatively affecting the health and well-being of adolescent and youth in the Caribbean. It is anticipated that the Congress will help to mobilise greater investment for the promotion and protection of the health and well-being of all adolescents and young people in the Caribbean.
Approximately two hundred participants are expected to attend including youth from around the Caribbean, CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, youth from within key populations, youth development leaders, public health leaders, social activists, and regional civil society representatives.
The congress is structured to ensure that the voices and concerns of youth in the region are heard through their active participation as organisers of special sessions, moderators, and panellists. The congress will also encompass building the capacity of youths to advocate for issues related to adolescent and youth health at the regional and country-level through increased knowledge and awareness of current best practices, new tools and skill sets applicable to the region.
The Congress is expected to result in regional commitment from participants on a vision and core principles to address the health needs of adolescents and youth ages 10 – 24 years in the Caribbean, as well as action plans based on current and emerging priorities for adolescent and youth health.
The event will serve as an impetus for policymakers to begin the discussion on how to improve and sustain investments in the health and well-being of adolescents and youth in the Caribbean.
ISL – Invest Saint Lucia Re-brands
Declaring that it has adopted “the Royal Standard” of investment promotion and facilitation, Invest Saint Lucia (ISL) has officially announced its rebranding as a national agency, striving to succeed for the benefit of all Saint Lucians.
The unveiling of the new brand took place on Monday, September 30, 2019 during a press event at the Harbor Club, Rodney Bay.
Officials of ISL presented the new brand as a “culture change”, rather than just cosmetic change, geared to attract investors who treat Saint Lucia as their own precious home, and not a place just to profit off its people and natural resources.
Chief Executive Officer, Roderick Cherry, said that under the new tagline, “Make It Your Own”, a re-focused ISL will promote more aggressively the island’s natural and physical attributes, along with the economic advantages, such as a stable business environment to targeted sectors and investors.
“On the international stage, what we have done with our new strategy is to try to focus very clearly on a few areas: tourism development, business process outsourcing, manufacturing and agro-processing. The difference now is that we have recognised what we do well, and we are using that, rather than throwing a wide net, to be very specific on the types of investment we go after,” Mr. Cherry explained.
The rebranded Invest Saint Lucia will pay greater attention to local investment, consistent with ISL’s mandate to create economic activity and employment, said Chairman of Invest Saint Lucia, Pinkly Francis. This was necessary, mindful of the perception among Saint Lucians that the entity focuses on attracting foreign direct investment and less on local investment. He said that the facilitation process that ISL provides is the same for national and foreign clients.
“An investor can come to Invest Saint Lucia and we will walk you through the entire process – from conceptualization of the idea, through to applying to various government entities for approvals, including concessions from the government. That has always been available to the local investor. They simply do not take advantage of it. What we have done now with our new image is to place more emphasis and make it known to the local investor that our doors are open. We have had a lot of success stories that we facilitated through Invest Saint Lucia. One example is Brice & Company. We have done a lot over the years in ensuring than Brice & Company become one of the large entities in Saint Lucia. We are also focusing on other sectors – the hotel sector, the hospitality sector, ICT. These have always been dominated by foreign direct investments. We have now embarked on developing the Anse de Sable project in Vieux Fort that focuses on creating opportunities for local investment in the hospitality sector.”
Mr. Francis and his board were congratulated by Prime Minister Honourable Allen Chastanet for ISL’s many initiatives, saying that the brand they had created had been developed from the actual work of attracting investment in Saint Lucia.
“Many people confuse brand with what we actually do. I think that ISL has done it backwards here. In fact, they have been doing it for some time, and are now allowing the brand to catch up with what they are doing, and that is really commendable because it is real. At the end of the day there is a tremendous amount of competition that is taking place in the world. If we want to be able to capture our fair share of investment, it means that we are going to have to be more innovative and hungrier than everybody else. We have to make a compelling case as to why somebody would want to come to this country. The job of all of us together is about achieving that… The effectiveness of doing business in government has to change.”
ISL rebranding could not be timelier as the Government of Saint Lucia is moving to activate major transformational changes and improvements in the economy. These changes include the expansion of the Hewanorra International Airport, upgrading and building new roads, and the sprucing up of Capital City of Castries. Additionally, all sectors of the economy will continue to benefit substantially from infrastructure improvements in communications, water supply, sewerage and port facilities.
The ISL team has scheduled promotional missions and trips in the next few weeks including CHICOS in Jamaica, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States to deliver the message to new investors.
Royal blue and gold will be ISL’s new brand colours to convey the image of Saint Lucia as a crown jewel. Better inter-agency collaboration, new dynamic marketing materials and an annual investment awards, which will recognize both investors and agencies who have demonstrated excellence in service delivery, are some of the tools that will give expression to the ISL brand.
