Carib Scope

作者： admin

  • Tropical Depression has 80% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within both 48 hours and seven days

    Tropical Depression has 80% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within both 48 hours and seven days

    Meteorologists at the U.S. National Hurricane Center are tracking three separate tropical systems across the Atlantic Ocean, with one disturbance showing sharply increased odds of strengthening into a named tropical cyclone in the coming week.

    In its latest public advisory issued at 8 a.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, the agency confirmed that Tropical Disturbance AL92 is currently generating disorganized showers and thunderstorm activity roughly 900 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, off the western coast of Africa. Favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions are forecast to persist over the central tropical Atlantic over the next several days, which will create room for AL92 to steadily organize as it tracks along a west to west-northwest path.

    As of Wednesday’s update, forecasters have raised the probability that AL92 will develop into a tropical depression to 80% for both the 48-hour and seven-day forecasting windows. This marks a notable increase from earlier projections that put the system’s development odds lower.

    AL92 is not the only system being watched by hurricane specialists this week. A second disturbance, labeled AL93, is positioned around 1,050 miles east-northeast of Bermuda in the North Atlantic. This system currently holds a 50% chance of briefly strengthening into a tropical storm before it moves into much cooler ocean waters on Thursday, a shift that will halt any further development.

    The third system, a broad tropical wave that has just moved off the western coast of Africa, carries lower development odds at this stage. Forecasters assign it a 20% chance of organization within the next 48 hours and a 30% chance through the next seven days. Like AL92, it is expected to progress west or west-northwest across the tropical Atlantic basin over the coming days.

    The National Hurricane Center continues to issue regular updates on all three systems as the Atlantic hurricane season remains active, urging residents and maritime interests across the basin to monitor changes in forecasts over the coming days.

  • Sargassum Accumulates Along Jabberwock Beach

    Sargassum Accumulates Along Jabberwock Beach

    A thick accumulation of brown sargassum seaweed has blanketed stretches of Jabberwock Beach, coating the shoreline and creating unwelcome conditions for visitors and local communities. This latest proliferation of the marine algae is part of a broader regional challenge, as Caribbean nations once again grapple with a major sargassum season that has become an annual environmental and economic concern.

    Projections from the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory paint a worrying picture for the coming years: by 2026, the total volume of sargassum blooming across the Atlantic is expected to hit at least the second-highest level recorded since systematic monitoring began. This growing trend of increasingly large sargassum outbreaks has put mounting pressure on coastal communities throughout the Caribbean basin.

    Unlike many harmful invasive species, sargassum is a naturally occurring brown algae that forms large floating mats across the open Atlantic Ocean. Offshore, these mats actually play a valuable ecological role, serving as critical habitat and feeding grounds for a wide range of marine life, from small juvenile fish to sea turtles. The situation changes dramatically, however, when large quantities of the algae wash onto sandy shorelines and begin to decompose. As it breaks down, sargassum releases a pungent, unpleasant odor that drives away tourists and disrupts daily life for coastal residents.

    To combat the persistent problem, regional governments, beachfront hotels, and local tourism businesses have poured millions of dollars into annual cleanup operations and the installation of offshore containment barriers designed to stop sargassum from reaching shore. Beyond mitigation efforts, researchers and innovative entrepreneurs across the region and beyond are actively investigating potential commercial uses for the harvested algae, exploring applications that could turn the nuisance into a valuable resource. Promising areas of development include using sargassum as a base for organic agricultural fertilizers, a feedstock for renewable biofuels, and even a raw material for sustainable textiles and other consumer goods.

  • Banking Within Reach: How Branch Access Varies Across CARICOM

    Banking Within Reach: How Branch Access Varies Across CARICOM

    Across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), access to in-person banking services remains a deeply uneven landscape, with significant gaps between urban hubs and rural, outlying communities that threaten to exacerbate financial exclusion across the region. For millions of residents in small island developing states that make up CARICOM, physical bank branches are not just a convenience—they are a critical lifeline for accessing basic financial services, securing loans for small businesses, cashing checks, and receiving in-person support that digital banking platforms often fail to provide. Yet new research into regional banking infrastructure shows that major population centers in wealthier member states, such as Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Jamaica, hold a disproportionate share of operating branches, while smaller islands and remote rural areas across the bloc have seen steady closures over the past decade.

  • Chinese Court Settles $26.5 Million Collision Dispute Involving Antigua and Barbuda-Flagged Vessel

    Chinese Court Settles $26.5 Million Collision Dispute Involving Antigua and Barbuda-Flagged Vessel

    BEIJING – An international shipping dispute valued at more than $26.5 million, rooted in a high-seas collision between two foreign-flagged vessels near the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, has been successfully resolved through court-mediated settlement at a Chinese maritime court, China’s Supreme People’s Court announced Monday.

    The 2025 incident involved two commercial vessels owned and operated entirely by overseas entities: the bulk carrier *Adalynn*, registered under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, and the *Front Eagle*, which flies Liberia’s flag of convenience. The collision occurred in international waters adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest and most economically vital maritime chokepoints for global oil trade, in June 2025. No official regional maritime investigation was ever completed into the incident, leaving no formal ruling on fault or liability when the legal process began.

    After the collision, the owner of the *Adalynn* petitioned the Guangzhou Maritime Court to take action to arrest the *Front Eagle* while the vessel was docked for scheduled repairs in the southern Chinese port city of Shenzhen. In a step that highlights the growing international trust in China’s maritime judicial framework, both disputing parties voluntarily agreed to submit their conflict to the Chinese court for adjudication and explicitly selected Chinese maritime law as the governing legislation for the case, which carried total claimed damages of 180 million yuan (equivalent to approximately $26.5 million).

    Over the course of nearly 10 months between October 2025 and July 2026, the court conducted four structured pretrial meetings to streamline evidence and clarify disputed points, before holding a full public hearing on the case on July 14. Because no official collision investigation had been completed by regional maritime authorities, the court enlisted independent, specialized maritime technical investigators to reconstruct the sequence of events. Presiding Judge Wu Guining explained that the investigative team was able to map the exact movements of both vessels in the lead-up to the collision, which allowed the court to clearly outline the proportional liabilities of each party to the dispute.

    Following the court’s liability analysis, the two foreign parties reached a mutually acceptable mediated settlement. By the end of July, the court had overseen the full distribution of the agreed-upon liability compensation fund, bringing the cross-border dispute to a close.

    Bilov Viacheslav, a legal representative for the *Adalynn*’s owner, shared that the company intentionally selected the Chinese judicial system to resolve the conflict due to long-standing trust in its transparency and fairness. He specifically commended the court for its efficient handling of the complex international case and the high level of professionalism demonstrated by the maritime technical experts brought in to reconstruct the collision.

  • Youth unemployment rises as young people face a harder road to decent work – ILO

    Youth unemployment rises as young people face a harder road to decent work – ILO

    A new analysis from the International Labour Organization (ILO) has sounded the alarm over a deteriorating global youth employment crisis, as stagnant economic expansion, lagging job creation, and shifting labor market dynamics raise barriers to stable work for young people and push a growing share out of employment, education, and formal training altogether.

    The ILO’s flagship *Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026: Back to the future* report finds that the global youth unemployment rate climbed to 12.4% in 2025. That figure translates to 67 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 actively seeking but unable to secure work. Parallel to this rise in unemployment, the global share of youth classified as Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) edged up to 20%, meaning more than 257 million young people are disconnected from pathways to long-term career success.

    The data reveals that higher-income economies have seen some of the most dramatic surges in youth joblessness, dimming the professional aspirations of millions at the very start of their working lives. Between 2023 and 2025, youth unemployment rates rose across 8 of the world’s 11 geographic subregions, with slow global growth, insufficient job creation, persistent geopolitical tensions, and rapid technological transformation combining to push the global economy toward a generational youth jobs crisis.

    “A generation that cannot find decent work cannot build its future with confidence. When young people are locked out of quality employment, countries lose talent, productivity and social cohesion,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. “Creating decent jobs for young people is not just a social imperative, it is one of the smartest investments a country can make.”

    Breaking down regional and structural challenges, the report notes that higher-income economies are grappling with a different set of pressures than developing nations. In wealthier countries, the steady erosion of middle-skilled roles has closed off traditional entry points for young workers. Positions that long served as first stepping stones into the labor market—including clerical and administrative jobs, service and sales roles, manufacturing positions, and many entry-level technical occupations—are shrinking rapidly, making it far harder for young people to launch stable, long-term careers.

    In developing economies, by contrast, the core challenge is generating enough decent work to absorb fast-growing youth populations. While official unemployment rates often appear lower in these contexts, that figure masks widespread labor market instability: most young people cannot afford to remain unemployed, so they take up informal or precarious work that offers little security. Currently, nearly 9 out of 10 young workers aged 15 to 29 in low- and lower-middle-income countries hold informal jobs, cutting off access to stable incomes and basic social protection. Sub-Saharan Africa faces uniquely acute pressures, with rapid demographic growth outpacing the creation of decent roles, pushing a growing share of young people into NEET status.

    The Arab States and Northern Africa hold the unenviable position of recording the world’s highest youth unemployment rates. In 2025, youth unemployment hit 26.2% in the Arab States and 22.6% in Northern Africa, with at least one in three young people in both subregions falling into NEET status.

    Rapid technological change, particularly the rise of artificial intelligence, is also reshaping youth employment prospects in every region. The report estimates that 6.1% of jobs held by young people aged 15 to 29 are in occupations at high risk of disruption from AI-driven transformation. Many of these at-risk roles overlap with the middle-skilled entry-level positions that have already shrunk since 2023, especially clerical and administrative work. At the same time, demand is growing for skilled workers in knowledge-based technical fields including science, public health, and engineering, highlighting a critical gap between the skills young people hold and the skills that evolving labor markets demand.

    To reverse these troubling trends and rebuild pathways to decent work for young people, the report calls for coordinated, renewed policy action across four core areas. First, it urges governments and global stakeholders to expand investment in quality education, accessible lifelong learning, and structured apprenticeship programs that align young people’s skills with current labor market needs. Second, it calls for strengthening public employment services and labor market institutions to support smooth school-to-work transitions, with targeted support for young women who face disproportionate barriers to employment. Third, the report emphasizes expanding comprehensive social protection and upholding core labor rights, particularly for young people in vulnerable and informal work arrangements.

  • Staatsbegroting 2026: financieel herstel zichtbaar, economische transformatie vraagt verdere uitwerking

    Staatsbegroting 2026: financieel herstel zichtbaar, economische transformatie vraagt verdere uitwerking

    On August 12, an independent policy analysis released by veteran Surinamese researcher Vincent Roep offered a comprehensive assessment of the South American nation’s 2026 national budget, concluding that the fiscal plan lays a strengthened financial and institutional foundation for long-term development while leaving critical gaps on the path from post-crisis recovery to sustained, inclusive economic transformation ahead of the anticipated launch of the country’s oil economy.

    Roep’s full report, titled *Suriname 2026 National Budget: Integrated Policy Analysis of Fiscal Policy, Sustainable Economic Development and Preparation for the Oil Economy*, was designed to contribute evidence-based insight to public debate over the quality of Suriname’s fiscal planning and the budget’s ability to support the country’s long-term economic growth trajectory. The analysis arrives at a pivotal juncture for Suriname: the country has secured preliminary macroeconomic stabilization and restored fiscal discipline following years of economic volatility, and now faces the dual challenge of consolidating those gains while leveraging limited fiscal space to advance inclusive sustainable development and prepare for an anticipated influx of oil revenues.

    Unlike traditional budget assessments that focus solely on short-term financial balance, Roep’s analysis evaluates the 2026 budget based on its ability to create enabling conditions for broad-based economic transformation and shared societal prosperity, aligned with global best practices for resource-rich developing nations. For the study, Roep systematically analyzed four core government documents—the 2026 national budget, 2026 fiscal strategy, 2026 annual financial plan, and 2026 national debt plan—using an integrated evaluation framework developed from guidance and insights from leading global institutions including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, OECD, United Nations, and the Natural Resource Governance Institute.

    The framework assessed the budget across six core strategic criteria: macroeconomic stability and fiscal sustainability, social development and human capital investment, entrepreneurship support, economic structural strengthening, good governance and institutional quality, and local content development and preparation for the oil economy. Drawing on decades of research on small and medium enterprise (SME) development and resource-rich economy fiscal planning, Roep anchored each dimension in peer-reviewed international literature on sustainable development for resource-dependent nations.

    The analysis assigned the 2026 budget an overall score of 6.7 out of 10, corresponding to a rating of “reasonably good”. Breakdown scores by criteria were 7.0 for macroeconomic stability and fiscal sustainability, 8.0 for social development and human capital, 6.0 for entrepreneurship support, 7.0 for economic structural strengthening, 6.0 for good governance and institutional quality, and 6.0 for local content and oil economy preparation.

    The report characterizes the 2026 budget as a stabilization-focused fiscal plan with clear development ambitions. Key strengths highlighted by the assessment include the government’s sustained commitment to fiscal discipline, ongoing strengthening of public finances, targeted investments in education, healthcare and social protection, expanded capacity for public institutions, and the ongoing development of Suriname’s Savings and Stability Fund to manage future oil revenues responsibly. All of these elements are recognized as critical foundational requirements for long-term sustainable economic growth.

    At the same time, the analysis identifies significant gaps in the budget’s strategic framework for full economic transformation. While policy priorities such as innovation, digitalization, productivity growth, entrepreneurship development, SME support and economic diversification are acknowledged in current planning, they have not yet been integrated into a cohesive long-term national strategy. The report also notes that measurable performance indicators and clear institutional and organizational frameworks for budget implementation remain underdeveloped, a caveat aligned with the study’s ex ante mandate: the report does not assess actual implementation outcomes, only the quality of pre-release planning.

    A core focus of the analysis is Suriname’s preparation for its emerging oil sector. The assessment credits the government for making visible progress on institutional preparations and prioritizing responsible management of future oil revenues, but finds that key elements including local content requirements, domestic supplier development, workforce skills upgrading, and strategies to link oil revenues to broad economic diversification remain insufficiently developed.

    The report emphasizes that the long-term developmental impact of Suriname’s oil reserves will depend not on the volume of revenues generated, but on how those revenues are deployed. The study’s framework defines local content as far more than basic local participation in the sector: it encompasses entrepreneurship development, skills training, domestic supply chain growth, and broader economic diversification, all of which are required to ensure oil revenues lift broad societal welfare rather than concentrating gains.

    In its concluding recommendations, the report calls on Suriname to accelerate the transition from post-crisis financial stabilization to a full, national economic transformation strategy over the coming years. Key policy priorities identified for urgent action include expanded investments in human capital, innovation, digitalization, entrepreneurship development, economic diversification, institutional strengthening, and a robust, actionable local content policy for the oil sector.

    Roep, the report’s author, earned his PhD in 2008 from Anton de Kom University of Suriname, where he has worked as an independent researcher for decades. In addition to publishing academic research, he supervises graduate students in business administration, with a core research focus on SME development in Suriname.

  • T&T ‘hot’ as global ties grow

    T&T ‘hot’ as global ties grow

    Trinidad and Tobago is currently experiencing an unparalleled period of international diplomatic activity, delivering tangible economic and energy progress through deepened partnerships with global allies including the United States, according to the nation’s Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers. In an interview with local outlet the Express, Sobers emphasized that the current level of global engagement with the twin-island nation has not been matched in the past 10 years, marking the emergence of a dynamic, results-driven new model of diplomacy that the administration is actively expanding.

  • RJLSC to hold transparent and independent review

    RJLSC to hold transparent and independent review

    A growing scandal has shaken the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) after multiple sitting judges brought explosive allegations against the court’s sitting president, Justice Winston Anderson, pushing the regional body tasked with court governance to launch a long-awaited transparent and independent review into the claims. The allegations, which first came to light in an exclusive scoop by the *Sunday Express* earlier this week, are far-reaching: they range from minor administrative overreach like imposing an unapproved judicial dress code to far more serious accusations of case panel manipulation and intentional efforts to sway the final outcomes of active court matters. Most notably, a majority of the CCJ’s own sitting judges have accused Anderson of running the regional tribunal in an overtly authoritarian, dictatorial style, according to internal email correspondence exchanged between the court’s presiding judges in June and July of this year that was obtained by the *Express*.

    Overseeing the upcoming review is the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC), the statutory body created by the founding agreement of the CCJ to manage court appointments, employment terms, and disciplinary processes for all CCJ judges (excluding the president) and court staff. By statute, the RJLSC is structured to bring together experienced legal professionals, senior public service leaders, and civil society representatives to uphold institutional independence of the regional court. A quirk of the commission’s governance structure, however, places Justice Anderson himself as the formal chairman of the RJLSC – a detail that has sparked immediate calls for his recusal from the review process.

    In an official statement issued to Caribbean media outlet CCN, the RJLSC acknowledged the grave nature of the allegations and committed to addressing the claims in a manner that upholds public trust in the CCJ and the broader Caribbean justice system. “The Commission recognises the seriousness of these matters and the importance of addressing them in a manner that protects public trust and confidence in the Court and the broader administration of justice throughout the Caribbean,” the statement read. The commission confirmed it would use its established internal governance frameworks to conduct a fully transparent and independent review, aligned with the best interests of the Caribbean region. The commission also reaffirmed its longstanding institutional autonomy, noting that in its 23 years of operation, it has never faced improper influence from either court leadership or external political actors, and has maintained a productive working relationship with the CCJ. “No conclusions should be drawn about the allegations until they have been examined fairly and objectively,” the statement added. Notably, the RJLSC declined to confirm whether Anderson would participate in the upcoming review, leaving that critical question unanswered.

    Martin Daly, a former RJLSC member and prominent senior counsel, has become the most high-profile figure to weigh in on the unfolding controversy, saying that a full formal investigation is non-negotiable and that Anderson must step aside entirely from the process. Daly characterized the RJLSC’s initial statement as overly verbose and vague, but acknowledged that the commission had reaffirmed its autonomy and responsibility to oversee the CCJ’s effective, independent administration. He warned that the allegations, if left unaddressed, pose a severe threat to the CCJ’s legitimacy and effectiveness. “The matters alleged in the Express reports have the potential to seriously undermine the independence and effectiveness of the court. The commission should therefore have no difficulty in getting on with an investigation of the allegations,” Daly said.

    Daly also questioned the RJLSC’s reference to its longstanding “open door policy” for judges and staff to raise internal concerns, asking if the statement amounted to a veiled push for complaining judges to file formal complaints, and arguing that the vague language does little to advance public interest in accountability. He emphasized that the RJLSC has clear jurisdiction to investigate the claims, as they center on administrative decisions that impact the court’s core functioning, noting that the commission must draw a clear line between administrative actions – which fall within its remit – and judicial decision-making, which it cannot interfere with.

    Most critically, Daly insisted that Anderson, as the subject of the allegations and the RJLSC’s chairman, must recuse himself completely from any part of the investigation. “The president of the court is chairman of the RJLSC, but he must, of course, recuse himself from participating in an investigation of administrative decisions made by him,” Daly explained, adding that it was unfortunate the commission abandoned the past practice of appointing a formal deputy chairman. Even so, he noted that multiple sitting RJLSC commissioners have the experience and credibility to lead an impartial, competent investigation, and argued that the matter should remain within the commission’s purview rather than being passed to regional heads of government at this stage.

  • We welcome job opportunities

    We welcome job opportunities

    A landmark industrial milestone has arrived for Trinidad and Tobago, as the shuttered Point Lisas steel mill officially reopens its doors under new ownership, unlocking billions in planned investment, new job opportunities, and a potential strategic foothold in the global vanadium market. Two leading local business groups have thrown their full support behind the project, framing it as a catalyst for long-term economic growth and diversification across the country.

    The facility, which first ceased operations in 2016 and eliminated 644 direct positions, now operates as Ibis Steel Company of T&T Ltd, a local subsidiary of U.S.-headquartered Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium Corporation. A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Monday marked the official start of the project’s transition toward full production, a milestone that the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago has celebrated as a transformative opportunity for the nation’s industrial sector.

    Per the Energy Chamber’s official statement, the project is slated to draw an initial $250 million in capital investment over the first two years of development. Total planned spending, covering future expansion and facility modernization, will climb to $750 million by project completion. After completing required refurbishment work, securing regulatory approvals, and obtaining all necessary permits, the plant is on track to launch its first commercial production by the end of 2027. Over time, officials expect the facility to restore all 644 direct jobs lost when the mill closed in 2016, alongside hundreds of additional indirect roles across the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and the plant’s national supply chain.

    One of the most strategic long-term opportunities highlighted by the Energy Chamber is the plant’s potential to establish Trinidad and Tobago as a major global producer of vanadium, a high-demand critical metal with key applications in aerospace manufacturing, national defense systems, energy storage battery technology, and structural steel strengthening. Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium has publicly stated its goal to meet up to 50% of total U.S. vanadium demand from the Point Lisas facility, a target that would deliver outsized strategic and economic benefits to Trinidad and Tobago. The chamber emphasized that this goal creates a urgent opening for local engineering, environmental, and industrial service providers to secure early positions in the project’s growing supply chain.

    “As an organization representing nearly 400 member companies across the entire national energy value chain, the majority of which are small and medium-sized local service providers and contractors, we welcome this investment and the direct and indirect employment it is expected to generate at Point Lisas,” the chamber said. “The reopening of a facility of this scale creates a range of opportunities, both for workers seeking direct employment and for local contractors and service companies across engineering, construction, maintenance, logistics and other supporting trades.”

    The chamber also added that the project highlights the enduring value of Point Lisas as a pre-developed industrial estate with existing core infrastructure, reinforcing the principle that local content and local employment should remain central priorities as new investment flows into the country’s industrial sector. In terms of operations, the plant ranks among the largest steel mills in the Americas. It will initially restart steel production using an electric arc furnace, with plans to integrate natural gas-based direct reduced iron technology in later expansion phases.

    Kiran Singh, president of the Greater San Fernando Area Chamber of Commerce, echoed the Energy Chamber’s optimism, noting that the mill’s reopening addresses longstanding unmet economic challenges facing Trinidad and Tobago, including high unemployment, limited foreign exchange inflows, and slow progress on economic diversification. For years, the high-value industrial site sat idle, a missed opportunity that the current project will reverse, Singh said.

    Singh outlined that the initial $250 million capital injection will support 250 early roles at the facility, with a follow-up $100 million investment set to expand total on-site employment to 1,000 workers. “This is a significant boost to the local economy. The benefits can extend well beyond the plant itself. The reopening will create indirect employment while generating opportunities for SMEs, contractors, transport providers, maintenance companies, suppliers and other supporting businesses throughout the Central and southern regions,” Singh explained.

    Singh also commended the national government’s focus on developing export-focused industries that generate foreign exchange, create sustainable long-term employment, and expand Trinidad and Tobago’s non-energy manufacturing base, calling the policy direction “on the right track.” Like the Energy Chamber, the Greater San Fernando Area Chamber of Commerce is urging both the government and facility operators to keep local content as a top priority, ensuring that local businesses and workers get meaningful opportunities to participate in the supply chain to spread economic benefits across local communities.

    While Singh praised all stakeholders who brought the project across the finish line, he noted that the project’s long-term success will be measured by its ability to remain globally competitive and financially sustainable, while consistently delivering jobs, export revenue, foreign exchange, and new opportunities for the wider local business community. Even so, Singh emphasized that the mill’s reopening sends a powerful positive signal: that Trinidad and Tobago is once again ready to leverage its underused industrial assets, attract large-scale international investment, and rebuild confidence in its domestic manufacturing sector.

  • HELP THE PANYARDS

    HELP THE PANYARDS

    Trinidad and Tobago’s iconic steelpan tradition took center stage over the weekend as the country marked World Steelpan Day with the annual Ancestral Pan Walk, a celebratory procession that drew hundreds of cross-generational steelpan enthusiasts despite intermittent rainfall. At the heart of the festivities, however, was a pressing public call from Pan Trinbago President Beverley Ramsey-Moore for urgent government action to upgrade the country’s aging network of panyards — the community hubs where steelpan bands practice, perform, and gather.

    In an exclusive phone interview with local outlet the Express following the walk, Ramsey-Moore reiterated a call she first made over a year prior, urging the national government to temporarily pause new community centre construction in order to redirect funding to panyard upgrades. She emphasized that panyards have become far more central to youth engagement than underused community centres, noting that young musicians spend countless hours at these hubs honing their craft. “The only modern, well-maintained panyards belong to a handful of commercially sponsored bands,” Ramsey-Moore explained. “Most unsponsored groups struggle with basic, urgent repairs — everything from outdated plumbing to dilapidated bathroom facilities that need complete overhauls.”

    This year’s World Steelpan Day centered explicitly on cultivating youth participation in the steelpan tradition, with the Ancestral Pan Walk kicking off at the Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra panyard in Port-of-Spain’s Duke Street before concluding at the bp Renegades Steel Orchestra pan theatre on Charlotte Street. Youth steel orchestras were featured as the lead attractions at both stops, framing the day as a handoff of the national cultural legacy to the next generation. Ramsey-Moore praised the enthusiastic turnout for the walk, but stressed that the steelpan community still lacks consistent, robust support from both government and corporate stakeholders.

    Opening up about ongoing challenges securing funding, Ramsey-Moore expressed disappointment with the recent pullback from Trinidad and Tobago’s corporate sector. “For four years, Pan Trinbago has overhauled its governance, delivering full clean audits, complete transparency, and clear accountability to bring back corporate partners,” she noted. “While corporations returned to partnership over the last two years, their continued engagement always hinges on the signal the national government sends about the sector’s priority.” She also pushed back firmly against narrow framing of the steelpan as an exclusively Black cultural tradition, emphasizing that the national instrument was created to be unifying. “Every creed and race finds an equal place in the steelpan,” she said. “It is not ‘a Black people thing’ — it is a powerful tool for positive national social transformation for all Trinbagonians.”

    One long-sought win for the community appears to be on the horizon, however: Ramsey-Moore voiced disappointment that the steelpan has not yet been added to the nation’s currency, but pointed to a recent statement from the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago confirming that the instrument will feature on the new $100 bill, set to be unveiled this August. She said she is hopeful the central bank will follow through on this commitment.

    Minister of Culture Michelle Benjamin echoed Ramsey-Moore’s call for panyard upgrades during her address at the bp Renegades Pan Theatre, affirming the government’s recognition of the critical role panyards play in nurturing cultural talent. “It is undeniable: all of this incredible national talent comes straight from our panyards,” Benjamin said in response to Ramsey-Moore’s appeal. “She is entirely right that we need to support the renovation and refurbishment of these spaces, because that is where our young people are every single day.”

    Even steady rainfall did little to dampen the festive spirit of the hundreds of attendees who turned out for the procession. As the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment Steel Orchestra played a rousing medley of classic and contemporary steelpan tracks, enthusiasts of all ages marched from the starting point at All Stars to the Renegades panyard, celebrating the legacy and future of the country’s most beloved cultural institution.