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Park Hyatt’s impact on St. Kitts and Nevis’ economy

Park Hyatt

Park Hyatt’s impact on St. Kitts and Nevis’ economy is wide and far-reaching.

Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour – the first Park Hyatt hotel in the Caribbean – will have ongoing economic impacts that are wide and far-reaching throughout the Federation.  The five-star luxury beach resort opened on November 4th, 2017 with 300 local permanent employees.
“There are a number of opportunities – be they from the sale of produce, be they from the sale of other materials,” Mohammed Asaria, vice chairman of Range Developments, the developer of the project, said at a press conference held yesterday, Friday, November 17th, referring to the spillover benefits for the broader economy.
Addressing Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris and Minister of Tourism the Honourable Lindsay Grant, who both sat at the head table, Mr. Asaria continued, “We’re here to work hand in hand with your Government and the people of St. Kitts and Nevis to ensure that that opportunity is maximized, and I believe a lot of local vendors and supply chains have seen Mr. Flor [van der Vaart, the new general manager of the hotel] and his team interact with them, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that the economic impact of this is far and wide.”
The management of Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour will source goods and services of local providers to enhance and maintain the resort’s amenities.
Its amenities include three signature restaurants that offer exceptional local and international cuisine; a rum bar; herb garden, indoor and outdoor event spaces, and two pools.  All of the 134 rooms and suites also incorporate local materials to create a chic, Kittitian-inspired décor.
At yesterday’s press conference, Prime Minister Harris said that the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour has already had a significant impact on the economy, as reflected in data from the Social Security Board.
Construction began in February 2014, at which time Kier Construction, the builder of the Park Hyatt St. Kitts, had a monthly average of 40 employees, peaking at 77 employees by the end of that year with monthly wages peaking at $573,050.   In 2014, its wages totaled $4.06 million.
The number of Kier Construction employees more than doubled to 183 and $8.96 million in wages were paid in 2015, the first year of the Team Unity administration.
Between 2014 and 2017, the construction of the Park Hyatt pumped $74.67 million in wages into the economy.
In 2017, Kier Construction accounted for 35 percent of jobs each month in the construction sector on the island of St. Kitts and 55 percent of total wages in the construction sector in 2017.
Range Developments has also contributed financially to the hospitality faculty of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC), including sponsoring the installation of Wi-Fi and providing scholarships to train culinary students in the United States.
At a ceremony held late last year to launch the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Hospitality Training Program in partnership with the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, Mohammed Asaria said, “We will provide students with the know-how.”
The vice chairman of Range Developments, the developer of the Park Hyatt St. Kitts, added then, “We would have failed in our collective responsibility if we are not staffed with Kittitians and Nevisians in senior management positions over the next few years.”

Morocco, Saint Lucia meet

Morocco Saint Lucia

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Chairman and Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Hon. Allen Chastanet, met with Morocco’s Prime Minister, Hon. Saad-Eddine El Othmani, on Nov. 11 to discuss deepening diplomatic and economic relations with Saint Lucia and the OECS.
The two leaders spoke of the establishment of an OECS Embassy and the signing of financial treaties. Investment in the Caribbean was also high on the agenda, with special attention paid to agriculture, agro-processing, tourism and the exchange of expertise.
Speaking about the meeting, Prime Minister Chastanet expressed thanks for the warm welcome he received and stated: “We are grateful for the support from Morocco especially when it comes to fertilizer and academic scholarships given to the Caribbean and we look forward to further solidifying our relationship.”
The OECS Secretariat, along with foreign affairs ministers, is expected to meet early in the new year with Moroccan officials to formalize arrangements.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco was established in Saint Lucia in March 2014, and covers all OECS member states, as well as Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas.

CMU Opens Centre for Digital Innovation

CMU

The Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) has officially opened a new Centre for Digital Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing and named it in honour of Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley.
As such, the unit, which is located at CMU’s Palisadoes Park in Kingston, is now called the Dr. Andrew Wheatley Centre for Digital Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing. The official opening took place on Wednesday, November 15.
The Centre is the home of the most sophisticated fleet of Fused Deposition Modeling (FRM) 3D Printers in Jamaica and will also house research and development (R&D) on designing and building drone technology and 3D laser scanning.
It is the first and only innovation centre in the English-speaking Caribbean that will facilitate R&D aimed at digital transformation.
Dr. Wheatley was elated at the launch, and in his address said he is pleased that the institution in Jamaica, which was most recently accredited as a university, has decided to formally recognise him by naming their newest department in his honour.
“I am really and truly humbled to be accorded the exceptional privilege of this Centre being named in my honour. I have also taken a keen interest in the Caribbean Maritime University, because I see this institution playing a key role in the current and future development and growth of our region, not just Jamaica,” he said.
“For the first time in the Caribbean, we have a Centre that will not only facilitate digital innovations, but will also position us on the cutting edge of industrial development,” Dr. Wheatley added.
He thanked the organisations that have partnered with CMU for the operations of the Centre, including the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited, German Ship Repair Jamaica, J. Wray and Nephew Limited, and Jamaica Energy Partners.
The Centre will be headed by Executive Director, Erica Simmons, who has spent two decades in the enterprise software industry, focusing on innovative software technologies at Siemens AG Digital Factory Software Division in the United States, where she led business development and marketing.
Mrs. Simmons said the Centre will seek to attract talented student designers, creators and engineers and will be available to students, faculty and industry practitioners who want to utilise additive manufacturing for co-innovation in a research-based environment.
“The Dr. Andrew Wheatley Centre for Digital Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing is focused on becoming a premier research institute in digital technologies and advanced manufacturing methods and equipment, including research into thermoplastics, metals and ceramics,” she explained.
“The Centre is the home of the most sophisticated fleet of Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Printers in Jamaica. In fact, we have 16 of these printers, including one very professional-grade printer used in manufacturing environments by big brands such as GM, BMW, Boeing and others,” Mrs. Simmons added.
“The Centre will perform a variety of rapid prototyping and low-volume part manufacturing. We want to focus on solving really challenging problems, the ones where we can delve into our creativity. The Centre will also be studying materials sciences, specifically thermoplastics such as PLA, ABS and others that are used in a wide variety of applications,” she said.
For his part, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said he is pleased to see new developments happening at the CMU.
“This opening of a state-of-the-art centre is indeed a very big leapfrog in the expansion of training opportunities for Jamaicans and our neighbours from the wider Caribbean. This reality is STEM in action, representing the kind of 21st century training the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has been championing” he said.
At the end of the launch, Dr. Wheatley was presented with the gift of a drone that was made at the Centre.

Inauguration Ceremony of The Honorary Consulate of The Republic Of Poland

Poland

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Commerce, wishes to inform of the inauguration ceremony of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and official recognition of Mr. Julian Jack as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Ceremony will be held on Monday 20th November at 1:00 p.m. at the Alliance Francaise (Old Public Library), Building.
In this connection, the Ministry extends an invitation to all media houses to provide coverage of same.
There will also be an exhibition under the theme “The Samaritan” and the showing of a movie at the same venue at 5:00 p.m. An invitation is extended to the general public.

Remembering Trevor Thwaites: The Life of a Heavyweight

Trevor Thwaites

The Management and Staff of the Government Information Services (GIS) extend deepest condolences to the family, friends, former colleagues and acquaintances of Trevor Thwaites our Senior Information Office who died on Saturday morning.
Trevor was not a conformist, but he was an invaluable team player and all will attest to that. He was endowed with a spirit of magnanimity that knew no boundaries and for that, he will be greatly missed.
We take this opportunity to extend our wholehearted support to his daughter Neisha McIntyre who also lost her mother Nadica McIntyre earlier this year.
We know that mere words are not enough to provide adequate consolation in this period of utter anguish and pain – a pain that we too, deeply share.
Nevertheless, be assured that our staff stands ready and willing to offer support in whatever way needed.
The GIS family, of which Trevor was an integral part for years, also expresses condolence to the sporting fraternity in Grenada, especially the Cricket and Boxing Associations, two sports in which he excelled and for which he flew the Grenadian flag proudly.
The media fraternity, like the rest of the population who knew Trevor and his exploits in media and sports, is mourning the loss of an amiable friend; one who in word and deed brought smiles to tense and pensive faces.
He was one who knew how to evoke laughter, breaking the silence in an otherwise icy room.
If we are true to ourselves, we will agree that the greatest lesson we have all learned from Trevor “Big T” Thwaites is that we should never take life so seriously that we cannot find enjoyment in living.
We therefore take this opportunity to invite the public to join us this Monday morning from 6.30 until 8am, when the GIS Spice Morning will pay tribute to Trevor Thwaites: the life of a heavyweight.
It’s Monday November 20 from 6:30 to 8:00 a.m…Trevor Thwaites: the life of a heavyweight!

Radio Bartica commissioned 18th Nov, 2017

Radio Bartica

“Everyone in Guyana must have access to public information” – President David Granger at commission of Radio Bartica.

With regional integration being one of the administration’s goals, the community radio stations project to link the indigenous communities with the coastland has proven successful thus far with the launch of four station to date.
The most recent to join the family is Radio Bartica 95.1 FM. The $30M state-of-the-art facility was commissioned by President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Saturday.
The radio station which is housed at the Bartica Learning Centre and which will provide local programming to the majority of residents in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) district, signal reaches as far as the Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice (Region 10) district.
Delivering the feature address at the commissioning, President Granger commended Prime Minister Nagamootoo and the technical team for moving in the direction of establishing hinterland radio stations, noting they aid in bridging the hinterland-coastal gap.

President David Granger at Radio Bartica
President David Granger during his first live Radio Bartica broadcast.

 
This, he said, is an “important step for democracy,” as it will ensure citizens are accurately informed. The Head of State noted that public information must be accessible, appealing, informative and truthful and readily available to all citizens; “geographical locations ought not to be a constraint,” he said.
He remarked that no longer will development in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni district be hampered because of a lack of information. He noted that via, Radio Bartica, residents a will be kept abreast with the latest current affairs and government programmes that will create employment and new opportunities.
Radio BarticaThe President encouraged the broadcaster to be “accurate and truthful” at all times, as this will allow persons to make informed decisions. He also urged that Guyana’s culture, language, education and entertainment be disseminated through Radio Bartica, 95.1 FM.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, whose office has been instrumental in the hinterland radio project, empathically noted that, “We are all Guyanese, we will not be divided. Radio gives us the opportunity to heal the breach gaps and bring us closer”.
Radio Bartica 95.1 FM is a collaboration between the government and the Guyana Telephone and Telegram (GTT) company. The telephone company’s towers were used to mount the signals to allow the radio station to broadcast.  The Chief Executive Officer, Justin Nedd said the company remains committed to being “a catalyst to the town’s growth.”
Radio Bartica
(from l-r) Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock, Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife Sita Nagamootoo.

Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford urged residents to embrace the radio station, noting the vital role communication plays in the areas of health, education, development and agriculture, among others.  He disclosed that plans are on stream to have the Mayor and Regional officials provide updates on the radio.
Radio Bartica
Minister within the Ministry Natural Resources, Simona Broomes

President Granger and Prime Minister Nagamootoo together unveiled Radio Bartica commissioning plaque, following which they made the first live appearance on the radio with National Communication Network’s (NCN’s) Michela Abraham-Ali. The Prime Minister’s office also distributed 12 radio sets to residents of the Region Seven district.
Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock; Minister within the Ministry Natural Resources, Simona Broomes; Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes; and Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma were also among the first guests to be interviewed in the studios of Radio Bartica.
According to Dr. Rovin Deodat, coordinator of the radio project, two other stations in Aishalton and Orealla, will be commissioned before year-end.
Bartica Learning Centre
The Bartica Learning Centre, which houses Radio Bartica.

IMF Managing Director visit to Jamaica

Christine Lagarde - IMF Managing Director
Christine Lagarde - IMF Managing Director

Statement by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the Conclusion of her visit to Jamaica.

  • Participants at the regional forum discussed issues concerning crime and youth unemployment, fiscal policy and political cycles, financial stability and growth tradeoffs.
  • Jamaica is making progress; main challenges are to refocus the public sector’s roles and responsibilities, adjust its workforce, and overhaul their pay structure.

Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), made the following statement today in Kingston:
“It has been a pleasure visiting Jamaica, my second visit as Managing Director. I had the privilege to meet with Caribbean Prime Ministers, Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors, private sector representatives, and international organizations who gathered in Kingston for the IMF’s sixth High Level Caribbean Forum, organized in partnership with the Government of Jamaica. My visit also gave me an opportunity to discuss Jamaica’s economic reforms and policy priorities with the Most Hon. Prime Minister Holness, Finance Minister Shaw, and Bank of Jamaica Governor Wynter.
“Before commenting on Jamaica specifically, I had the opportunity to explore with leaders critical regional issues, including the recurring damage from hurricanes and the impact of climate change. In this regard, I pledged to convene a conference with major public and private stakeholders to explore options for building resilience in the Caribbean through risk mitigation and debt management strategies.
“In addition, during the Caribbean Forum on ‘ Unleashing Growth and Strengthening Resilience’, participants considered options to address crime and youth unemployment, fiscal policy and political cycles, and financial stability and growth tradeoffs. Key takeaways include the importance of: (i) a multi-pronged approach to crime including balancing prevention and policing; (ii) strong fiscal institutions and disciplined policy-making; and (iii) financial inclusion while preserving stability.
“Separately, IMF staff organized a roundtable, involving key stakeholders, on the issue of correspondent banking relationships.There is broad consensus that the situation has stabilized as a result of better communication, increased training, and consolidation of transactions. However, risks still remain and continued effort is needed to further advance AML/CFT regulatory reforms.
“During my discussions with the Jamaican authorities, I commended the Prime Minister and his team for their ownership and commitment to economic reforms. Jamaica is a leading example of policy commitment for other countries beyond the Caribbean. With support and sacrifice from the Jamaican people, important progress on macro-economic stability has been made over the past four years, under two different governments. An immediate challenge now is to release scarce fiscal resources for growth friendly priority spending on security, education, health, and infrastructure, to create opportunities for all. To achieve this, Jamaica needs to take tough decisions to refocus the public sector’s roles and responsibilities, adjust the size of the government workforce, and rethink the overall pay structure. These actions will ultimately reinforce the fiscal foundation and create a more resilient Jamaica.
“We remain committed to supporting the people of Jamaica and the region in their efforts to achieve inclusive and resilient growth. In this regard, I underscored that reforms to lower costs of doing business and promote a vibrant private sector are essential. We support steps to ensure that economic gains are shared widely across the population with the help of a stronger social safety net combined with measures to upgrade skills.
“I also met with representatives from unions, the opposition, the reform program monitoring groups, the private sector, students at the University of the West Indies, and with Jamaica’s women leaders. I am impressed by the broad and sustained support that continues to underlie Jamaica’s economic reform efforts. The ongoing policy adjustments constitute an essential foundation for a better future and improved living standards for all Jamaicans.
“ I also want to thank the authorities and the people of Jamaica for their warm hospitality.”

IHSE’s conference highlights on use of local materials

Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE), Director, Dr. Alexandra Harvey.
Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE), Director, Dr. Alexandra Harvey.

In its pursuit to promote research findings by doctors at the post-graduate level on Sunday, the Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE) held its tenth Annual Medical-Scientific Conference at the Ramada Princess Hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
This allowed the doctors the opportunity to present their research findings to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) administration and those responsible for managerial changes.
Director of Institute of Health Sciences Education, Dr. Alexandra Harvey said she was happy to be able to continue providing a forum for local healthcare practitioners to present their research findings.
“We (IHSE) are continuing to work to improve this whole culture of researching in the medical environment, because, we feel in order to improve healthcare delivery, it should be based on evidence to allow for sustainable practices, thereby delivering quality healthcare to our patients.” Dr. Harvey explained.
This, she opined, will boost the credibility of healthcare delivery among peers and the public alike.
Dr. Harvey noted that research papers presented at the meeting promoted the use of local materials as opposed to importing these supplies.

Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE)
A section of the participant at the 10th Guyana Medical Conference.

“We had the papers relating to things that can be used practically here in Guyana. Using local materials for shielding and people that are getting their x-rays, instead of importing the barriers normally used to prevent our patients and ourselves from getting the bad effects of the x-ray. It is possible to use materials that are made here,” Dr. Harvey said.
In addition to the use of local alternative material as a structural shield for diagnostic radiological facilities, some of the other topics discussed during the conference dealt with team building exercises for doctors and nurses working in the Accident and Emergency units and educating GPHC’s female patients on the correct approach and practices as it relates to cervical cancer.
The conference which was hosted under the theme, “Transforming Health Care: Celebrating 10 years of residency education and research in Guyana” attracted more than 200 local medical practitioners and overseas associates.

Empower men to achieve gender equality

International Men's Day promoting gender equality

Empower men to achieve gender equality – Min Ally on International Men’s Day celebration.

Men should be empowered to challenge prevailing social norms and to change their behaviours with the objective of attaining gender equality. This was the charge from Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, in observation of International Men’s Day.
The Ministry of Social Protection’s Gender Affairs Bureau in collaboration with the National Community Policing Groups today hosted ‘A Salute to Men’ at the Guyana Police Force Training Centre Auditorium, Camp Street, Georgetown. The showcase of Guyana’s male talent was in keeping with the theme: “Celebrating men and boys”.
“I want to encourage men to participate fully in all actions towards gender equality and urge the establishment of the principle of shared power and responsibility between men and women in the home, community, in the workplace and in the wider national and international communities,” Minister Ally said.
However, the Minister acknowledged that there is the need for more interventions targetting and supporting men and boys. She assured that the administration is committed to addressing issues that affect Guyana’s males. “More emphasis will be placed on men’s and boys’ health issues, promote gender equality and highlight positive role models in Guyana,” Minister Ally pledged.
The Minister made a special appeal for greater positive male parental involvement to arrest the country’s growing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) rate. “Take positive initiatives to eliminate gender stereotypes and promote gender equality, including combating violence against women,” Minister Ally charged.

International Men's Day promoting gender equality
Local gospel entertainer Kester Dean giving a ‘man talk’.

The Ministry of Social Protection is working with men and women to eliminate SGBV and promote gender equality and freedom from discrimination in Guyana.  “We must consider measures that we can all take to protect men and boys from harm and provide them with a safe world where they can thrive and prosper,” Minister Ally said.
Men’s involvement in their children’s upbringing could also lead to a reduction in antisocial or dangerous risk-taking behaviours, as men remain the “glue that holds our families, our communities and our world together” Minister Ally reasoned. “Let the boy child grow up knowing he has a precious role to play for a gender-balanced and equitable society,” she said.
The evening’s display of male talent in song and dance was interspersed with “man talk”, words of encouragement from male leaders the likes of Kester Dean, Hajee Roshan Khan and Allister Collins.
International Men’s Day has been observed annually on November 19 since February 1992. The six pillars of International Men’s Day”, include focusing on men’s and boys’ health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting male role models.

Road Safety HUB Launched

Road Safety

The Government is now better equipped to develop road safety policies and programmes utilising traffic data, following the launch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Road Safety Hub.
Constructed at a cost of $8.2 million, the state-of-the-art road-safety-management facility, which is located at the JCF’s Traffic and Highway Division in downtown Kingston, will provide real time road crash and network data by the Mona Geoinformatics Institute.
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who officially opened the hub on Wednesday (November 15), noted that it “is a significant enhancement to our national priority of road safety”.
“The integration of geospatial technologies and services to improve data collection and analysis will add value to how we develop our policies and interventions related to traffic management,” he said.
Mr. Holness noted that more than 50 government entities have now implemented geospatial technologies in their operations, resulting in greater efficiency in the execution of their respective mandates.
He said the Government is working towards realising a digital economy by leveraging new data sources and technology to improve decision-making in the public sector.
Lamenting that 280 persons have been killed in 257 fatal crashes since the start of the year, the Prime Minister said he is pleased that the information to be provided by the hub will also aid in identifying road networks that are traffic accident ‘hotspots’.
He explained that with this data, the police will be able to carry out their functions more intelligently “using data to direct the application of their resources, but more than that, getting the information to prevent crashes from happening”.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister commended all the private-sector partners who made the establishment of the centre possible and are thereby bolstering the Government’s thrust to make the nation’s roads safer.
It was established in partnership with the JN General Insurance Company Limited, the JN Foundation and the Jamaica Automobile Association.
The facility will double as a homework and resource centre for residents in and around Central Kingston.

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