Carib Scope

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  • Dominica’s Bee Natural highlights export challenges at regional IICA-CDB forum

    Dominica’s Bee Natural highlights export challenges at regional IICA-CDB forum

    A regional virtual forum hosted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has centered on the unique struggles that micro and small agricultural enterprises (Agri-MSMEs) across the Caribbean face when attempting to break into regional and international export markets, spotlighting two standout local businesses from Dominica and Antigua & Barbuda.

    The event, branded under the theme “Moving Products to Markets, Literally!”, forms a core component of a long-running collaborative initiative between IICA and CDB designed to remove the most persistent barriers to market entry for small agri-enterprises. The program supports participating businesses through export pilot trials, targeted support to boost production capacity, and expanded access to critical financing that many small operations struggle to secure.

    Dominica’s homegrown wellness brand Bee Natural was one of the featured businesses at the forum, with founder Terri Henry-Lovell sharing the company’s journey to build a customer base across multiple Caribbean nations. Henry-Lovell detailed that Bee Natural, which produces award-winning wellness goods crafted from locally harvested honey, beeswax and propolis, has made notable inroads into regional markets, but persistent logistical challenges continue to stunt its growth.

    She echoed a widespread frustration shared by small island-based Agri-MSMEs: affordable, reliable freight and logistics infrastructure remains severely limited across the region. For many operations, the only feasible way to move products to neighboring markets is to rely on traveling passengers to carry goods in their personal luggage, an ad-hoc solution that cannot support scalable long-term growth. Beyond unreliable transportation, forum participants identified a suite of additional barriers: inconsistent shipping timetables, exorbitant freight costs, burdensome and unclear cross-border customs procedures, steep packaging costs, limited cold storage capacity for perishable goods, and difficulty building partnerships with established regional distributors.

    Antigua & Barbuda’s Shade Hydroponics, known by its brand name SHAADE, also joined the forum to showcase its line of local products, which includes artisanal herbal teas, raw honey, fresh peppers and a range of other wellness goods. Like Bee Natural, SHAADE outlined the practical support that would allow the business to scale its distribution across the Caribbean.

    Diana Francis, IICA’s representative in Trinidad and Tobago and the project’s coordinator, emphasized that the initiative is built around delivering tangible, measurable commercial outcomes rather than generic capacity building. “This forum starts with the endgame – literally placing products on shelves, in homes across regional markets, and potentially beyond. This project wants to go beyond conventional capacity building and just telling Agri-MSMEs where the markets are. We want to help them put their products on the shelves and keep them there,” Francis explained.

    In its closing, the forum reaffirmed that Caribbean Agri-MSMEs already have the core components needed for export success: the region is home to passionate, skilled entrepreneurs crafting high-quality, innovative products that have strong demand in regional and global markets. To unlock that potential, participants agreed that cross-sector collaboration is non-negotiable. Stronger coordinated partnerships between national governments, logistics service providers, financial institutions and regional development agencies will be critical to breaking down systemic barriers and helping small agri-enterprises expand their footprint, strengthen regional trade, and drive inclusive economic growth across the Caribbean.

  • Suriname heeft wel een wettelijke regeling voor ‘fiscale ringfencing’ bij O&G-contractors

    Suriname heeft wel een wettelijke regeling voor ‘fiscale ringfencing’ bij O&G-contractors

    On July 17, 2026, legal expert Siegfried G. Kenswil LLM published an opinion piece titled ‘The Contract That Underpins Suriname’s Oil Era’, where he introduced his book *The Surinamese Production Sharing Contract*. While Kenswil’s piece is overall a valuable read for stakeholders in Suriname’s growing oil and gas sector, one key claim he made requires critical nuance to prevent unnecessary confusion and conflict between the Surinamese government, specifically the tax authority, and oil and gas contractors and their advisors.

    The contentious claim centers on Kenswil’s assertion that the so-called ring fence outlined in Suriname’s Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) is purely a contractual cost-recovery mechanism, and that no statutory fiscal ring fence – which limits tax deduction eligibility to individual fields or contracts – currently exists in Surinamese tax law. Kenswil further argues that introducing such a framework would require legislative action, and applying it retroactively to existing contracts would violate state guarantees of legal certainty and policy stability.

    However, Kenswil’s opinion does not clearly outline the legal basis for his claim that Suriname lacks a statutory fiscal ringfencing regime. This gap risks leading readers to the incorrect conclusion that Suriname has no existing legal rules governing ringfencing for income tax collection from oil and gas contractors. In fact, the opposite is true: Suriname has held a clear legal basis for fiscal ringfencing since the 1990 Petroleum Act, specifically in Article 19.

    Article 19 of the 1990 Petroleum Act mandates that any contractor carrying out operations under a petroleum PSC in Suriname must establish a dedicated local office for each individual agreement, and register this office in compliance with national regulations. Article 11 of the same Act confirms that this requirement applies to every petroleum agreement a contractor enters into. This means contractors are legally obligated to set up separate registered entities for every PSC they sign in Suriname.

    This mandatory separation of entities carries direct implications for income taxation. A local office of a foreign contractor typically takes one of two legal forms: a local branch or a wholly-owned local subsidiary. Both structures are required to register with the Suriname Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKF) and register as distinct taxpayers with the Surinamese Tax Administration. A branch of a foreign enterprise is formally classified as a permanent establishment for Surinamese income tax purposes, falling under local tax jurisdiction.

    Depending on the legal structure chosen, the separate office is classified as either a non-resident taxpayer (for branch structures) or a resident taxpayer (for subsidiary structures) for income tax purposes. Since each PSC corresponds to a single legally defined exploration or production block, this separation requires that income tax assessments are conducted separately for each block. As a result, costs accrued from one block cannot automatically be deducted against revenues generated from a separate block. Through this provision in the 1990 Petroleum Act, Suriname’s legislature already embedded fiscal ringfencing into the regulatory framework for oil and gas contractors.

    This statutory requirement is also explicitly reflected in Suriname’s standard model PSC, confirming that both contractors and the state have long recognized the application of fiscal ringfencing. Article 19.2.1 of the model PSC outlines which revenues and costs are counted when calculating a contractor’s taxable income. For eligible costs, the rule specifies that only expenses linked to or arising from the PSC for the specific block in question can be counted, whether they qualify for cost recovery or not. By signing a PSC containing this clause, contractors voluntarily agree to abide by this ringfencing framework.

    In conclusion, this clarification makes clear that fiscal ringfencing for oil and gas contractors in Suriname already holds full legal grounding under existing law. When the Surinamese Tax Administration applies ringfencing to assess income tax from oil and gas contractors, no additional legislative action is required. This application does not breach existing contracts, nor does it violate legal certainty or the state stability guarantees outlined in State Decree S.B. 2018 No. 52.

    By Roy Shyamnarain, Fiscal and Legal Advisor based in Paramaribo

  • ECAB Launches the ECAB Game Changers Scholarship

    ECAB Launches the ECAB Game Changers Scholarship

    On July 20, 2026, the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB) officially introduced its transformative new initiative, the ECAB Game Changers Scholarship, at the bank’s Redcliffe Street headquarters. The launch event drew key stakeholders from both local government and the regional sporting community, gathering to mark a new milestone in combined investment for youth athletic and academic growth.

    Designed to remove financial barriers for talented young competitors, the scholarship will award a one-time disbursement of 25,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars to one eligible recipient each year. To qualify, candidates must be between 14 and 21 years of age, have already secured a partial scholarship to study overseas, and compete at a high level in one of three core sports: swimming, track and field, or association football. The program’s core mission is to empower promising young athletes to pursue dual excellence in their academic studies and their athletic careers while studying abroad.

    Speaking at the launch, ECAB Chief Executive Officer Michael Spencer emphasized that the initiative represents far more than just financial support for recipients. He framed the scholarship as a tangible demonstration of the bank’s long-standing dedication to holistic youth development across the Eastern Caribbean. “This program is about recognizing and rewarding relentless perseverance, fostering the next generation of community leaders, and backing young people who will go on to carry pride for their hometowns and their nation onto regional and global sporting stages,” Spencer explained.

    Dwayne George, the Honorable Minister of Sports and Creative Industries, joined in praising the initiative, highlighting ECAB’s sustained track record of meaningful corporate investment in local communities. “ECAB has consistently shown it stands apart from other institutions when it comes to investing in the region. Their contributions to education, community advancement, and cultural development have not gone unrecognized by the public or the government. We once again applaud their ongoing work as a responsible, engaged corporate citizen,” George said.

    Young athletes who meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in applying have until August 21, 2026, to submit their completed applications. Full details on eligibility requirements and submission instructions are available directly through ECAB.

  • Petro agreed to become president of Pacto Historico party

    Petro agreed to become president of Pacto Historico party

    As Colombia prepares to swear in its newly elected legislative body this week, outgoing President Gustavo Petro has delivered a high-stakes message to members of his ruling Pacto Historico coalition, demanding unified parliamentary discipline and tighter oversight of caucus members’ actions ahead of a key leadership vote in the Senate.

    In his public address, Petro outlined that Pacto Historico will prioritize brokering a broad national consensus to head off violent political polarization between Colombian factions, framing the effort as a commitment to protecting democratic stability across the region historically liberated by South American independence icon Simón Bolívar.

    Petro issued a clear directive to his allies: no member of Pacto Historico — and he extended that appeal to all factions of the broader Alliance for Life coalition — should cast a vote for candidates backed by the incoming conservative coalition, which he accuses of seeking to criminalize political opposition and erode fundamental democratic freedoms. The comment is widely understood to be a direct rebuke of Alfredo Deluque, the conservative-aligned legislator tapped by the incoming government to take the presidency of the Colombian Senate.

    The Colombian leader pushed back against the weaponization of judicial processes in political disputes, noting that democracy is rooted in inclusive political freedom, not the judicialization of ideological differences. “The Right should not be criminalized simply for being right-wing — I granted them full democratic guarantees during my administration — nor should progressivism be criminalized,” he explained.

    Reiterating the stakes of the upcoming vote, Petro declared that “Tomorrow, no one from the Pact (…) must succumb to the temptation of supporting fascism.”

    Petro also voiced public regret over the actions of Rodrigo Lara, the incoming administration’s designated Interior Minister, whom he accuses of having already taken “the first step toward fascism” by improperly meddling in internal party decision-making that falls outside the scope of the incoming executive’s authority.

    The swearing-in ceremony for members of Colombia’s new legislative term is scheduled to take place tomorrow, bringing to a close months of post-election negotiations and political maneuvering over control of the country’s congressional agenda.

  • Cuba’s largest fishing industry enterprise to energy transformation

    Cuba’s largest fishing industry enterprise to energy transformation

    For months, the U.S. government’s ongoing blockade of fuel shipments to Cuba has created widespread instability across the country’s National Electric System (SEN), threatening critical industrial operations and putting thousands of jobs at risk. In response to this energy crisis, Cuban energy and fishing authorities have turned to renewable solar infrastructure to shore up power supplies at one of the nation’s most valuable export hubs, the La Coloma fishing complex in the western province of Pinar del Río.

    The flagship solar project currently under development at La Coloma will add 400 kilowatts of installed solar capacity to the facility, translating to an average of 2.3 megawatt-hours of clean electricity generated every day, according to official reports. Cuba’s state-owned newspaper Granma confirmed that construction on the project is already 80% complete, with final testing and grid connection work expected to wrap up in the coming weeks. Once fully operational, the new solar array will accomplish two core goals: it will guarantee continuous power for a large portion of La Coloma’s processing operations, eliminating the risk of costly production shutdowns amid rolling blackouts, and any excess power generated will be fed directly into the national grid to help ease broader energy shortages across the region.

    Yordan Nogueira Tapia, general director of Cuban state fishing company Epicol, which manages the La Coloma complex, outlined that complementary energy upgrades are already in motion to maximize the benefits of the new solar infrastructure. A dedicated energy storage system is currently being installed alongside the solar array, a modification that will allow the facility to store excess power generated during peak sunlight hours for use during cloudy periods or after sunset, drastically improving the facility’s overall operational efficiency.

    Beyond the main processing complex, solar energy is already being deployed to improve working conditions for fishing crews across Epicol’s operations. Six-kilowatt solar systems have been fully installed at all offshore lobster collection centers, the hub for Epicol’s top export product. These systems now provide consistent power for workers stationed at the remote centers, dramatically improving daily quality of life for crews that spend extended periods in isolated fishing zones.

    Similarly, most commercial fishing vessels operating out of La Coloma have now been fitted with portable solar power kits. The kits address a critical daily challenge for crews: amid fuel and liquefied gas shortages caused by the U.S. blockade, the solar kits provide reliable power for cooking food during long trips out at sea, eliminating a major hardship that previously disrupted fishing operations.

    For Cuba’s provincial and national economies, the stability of La Coloma is a high priority. The complex generates roughly $30 million in annual export revenue, making it one of the largest and most economically important industrial entities in all of Pinar del Río. By investing in domestic renewable energy to offset the impacts of the U.S. fuel blockade, Cuban officials are working to protect critical export revenue and preserve jobs while addressing immediate energy access challenges for workers.

  • US war on Cuba is multidimensional, ambassador denounces

    US war on Cuba is multidimensional, ambassador denounces

    A senior Cuban official has delivered a sharp rebuke of U.S. policy toward her country, labeling Washington’s oil embargo a de facto naval blockade that imposes extraterritorial harm on third-party nations alongside devastating Cuba itself.

    In an interview with the Argentine current affairs program *Legitima Manana*, produced by media group Caras y Caretas, she argued that the decades-long U.S. campaign has inflicted widespread suffering on the Cuban people, stripping them of the ability to exercise basic human rights and move forward with national development plans. Far from supporting progress for Cubans, the official emphasized, the U.S. policy is explicitly designed to roll back the social, economic, and scientific progress that Cuba has secured since the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

    She highlighted the stark contradiction between global opposition to the embargo and Washington’s continued enforcement of the measure: Cuba lies just 90 miles from the U.S. border, making it the target of constant harassment from the world’s most powerful military and economic power, even as the United Nations General Assembly has voted 30 separate times to demand an immediate end to the blockade. Most recently, on July 7, Cuba brought its urgent case to the General Assembly once again, reaffirming its sovereign right to engage in international trade and access global fuel markets. The official praised the overwhelming international support for the motion, noting that 136 member states voted in favor of opening debate on the issue, alongside numerous official statements from global representatives denouncing Washington’s hostile stance toward Havana.
    “The United States openly disregards international law and the longstanding norms that govern peaceful relations between sovereign states,” she said. “Washington insists on imposing its own unilateral rules, even within inter-American governance frameworks, to increase its interference in the internal affairs of countries across our continent.”
    She characterized the decades-long embargo as a genocidal silent war of suffocation against Cuba, noting that the campaign operates on two interconnected levels. Beyond the direct economic harm that deprives the Cuban people of critical resources, the official argued that it includes a deliberate cognitive strategy of demonizing the Cuban government and shifting blame for the country’s hardships onto Havana itself. She summed up this strategy as a “diabolical double game,” designed to erode international support for Cuba while masking the human cost of Washington’s unilateral policy.

  • Environmental and Agricultural Foundation gets $13,500 grant for eco project

    Environmental and Agricultural Foundation gets $13,500 grant for eco project

    The Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia has secured critical new funding to advance its national eco-sustainability agenda, after the St. Lucia Environmental and Agricultural Foundation received a targeted grant from the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Small Grants Programme this Friday.

    Valued at 13,500 Eastern Caribbean dollars (EC$), the award will fund the initial design phase of a landmark national initiative centered on two interconnected priorities: climate-resilient sustainable agriculture and evidence-based coastal zone management. Over the design period, the funding will cover three core activities: baseline scientific research on current agricultural and coastal ecosystem health, multi-stakeholder consultation workshops bringing together local farmers, conservation groups, and government officials, and technical support to help the foundation develop a scalable, long-term operational business model for the project.

    Once the design phase is completed, the foundation plans to submit a full project proposal to GEF to secure a 45,000 U.S. dollar implementation grant, equivalent to roughly 121,615 Eastern Caribbean dollars. Giles Romulus, national coordinator for the project, framed the initial grant award as far more than a one-off injection of funding — rather, it marks the starting point of a broader national movement toward more responsible resource stewardship across the island. Immediately following the grant announcement, Romulus led an orientation seminar to walk project stakeholders through the requirements and next steps for advancing the initiative.

    “This is the beginning of a long relationship with this group, and we are hoping that because the group works all over Saint Lucia, they will demonstrate how to use resources sustainably and also build the capacity of other groups that have similar missions and visions for Saint Lucia,” Romulus explained in an interview with local outlet St Lucia Times.

    Romulus emphasized that the initiative aligns directly with Saint Lucia’s core national goals for long-term food security, public health, and sustainable land use. As a small island developing state with extremely limited land and natural resources, intentional, rigorous stewardship is not an optional policy goal but an existential necessity, he noted.

    “When you are small, you need to take care of what you have even more consciously and in a more rigorous, focused way,” he said. “Therefore, what they are trying to do is say, ‘Okay, we have limited space, we have limited land, we have limited soil. Let us find a way to use the soil in a sustainable way and to produce produce that has minimum or zero toxic chemicals in it’. This will not, for example, later down the road contribute to cancer cases in Saint Lucia and other morbidity issues. So, this project has both a food security and, in many respects, a nutritional security and health component. But most importantly, it is about taking care of what we have.”

    Cherica Toussaint, president of the St. Lucia Environmental and Agricultural Foundation, welcomed the grant as a transformative opportunity for the organization and the country as a whole, expressing profound gratitude for GEF’s investment in Saint Lucia’s sustainable future.

    “I stand here today with immense gratitude. We are very honoured in receiving these grants, and I hope that it serves as a powerful catalyst for a more sustainable Saint Lucia and a healthier environment,” Toussaint said.

  • What Would International Accreditation Mean for UB Students?

    What Would International Accreditation Mean for UB Students?

    In a landmark move that promises to reshape higher education in Belize, the University of Belize (UB) has announced the formal submission of its Application for Accreditation Candidacy to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), a leading regional accrediting body for higher education across the United States and portions of the Caribbean. The July 2026 announcement marks the end of years of behind-the-scenes institutional improvement and the start of a new chapter for the public university, which has long aimed to earn global recognition for its academic programs.

    UB President Dr. Vincent Palacio framed the submission as a defining milestone for the institution in comments released alongside the announcement. “This is a historic day for the University of Belize,” Palacio stated. “Our submission represents the culmination of years of work to strengthen our academic and administrative systems and position UB to meet internationally recognised standards of excellence. Today, we have taken a decisive step toward our vision of becoming an internationally accredited university.”

    To prepare the candidacy application, UB undertook widespread systemic reforms across all divisions of the institution. These upgrades included a complete overhaul of the university’s institutional effectiveness measurement framework, updated requirements for faculty credentialing to align with global standards, and revisions to hundreds of academic and administrative policies to build a robust, transparent quality assurance system that meets SACSCOC’s strict criteria.

    While university leadership has celebrated the submission as a major achievement, institutional officials have been clear that the process is far from complete. Candidacy status itself is not equivalent to full international accreditation, and the application now enters a multi-stage review process overseen by SACSCOC. First, accrediting body officials will conduct an in-depth review of UB’s submitted materials to verify that the institution meets all baseline eligibility requirements. If the application passes this initial screen, SACSCOC will dispatch an official Candidacy Committee to conduct an on-campus review to assess institutional practices firsthand. Only after completing this on-site evaluation will the commission vote to grant or deny UB candidacy status, a required prerequisite for full accreditation and SACSCOC membership.

    If UB ultimately earns full accreditation, the impact will extend far beyond institutional prestige for the Belizean university. International accreditation from SACSCOC would significantly boost the global recognition of UB degrees, making it easier for graduates to pursue graduate study at top international institutions and secure employment with global organizations. For faculty, the accreditation would open new doors for collaborative research partnerships with universities in the United States and across the Caribbean, while also increasing access to regional and international funding opportunities for academic projects. For Belize as a whole, the accreditation would help position the country as a regional hub for quality higher education, attracting more international students and strengthening the nation’s education sector.

  • Police Investigating Social Media Claims of Alleged Human Remains Off Parham Coast

    Police Investigating Social Media Claims of Alleged Human Remains Off Parham Coast

    ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA – In an official public statement released July 20, 2026, the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda’s Office of Strategic Communications confirmed that authorities are treating unconfirmed reports of human remains found in waters off Parham Coast with the highest level of urgency, launching a full, active joint investigation with national defense partners.

    Two days prior, on July 18, a joint search and assessment operation was carried out by local police and the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) Coast Guard in the general area flagged in the original reports. However, despite coordinated efforts, investigators have yet to pinpoint the exact location where the alleged discovery was reportedly made.

    Authorities emphasized that targeted underwater search operations require precise, actionable intelligence to deploy limited resources effectively. To that end, police and the ABDF Coast Guard have remained in close communication, working to cross-verify all incoming information and narrow down the location of the reported find. Without clear coordinates, a comprehensive, efficient underwater search cannot be executed, officials explained.

    In a public appeal, law enforcement is urging any member of the public with relevant details that could help pinpoint the alleged discovery site to step forward and share what they know. The investigation carries unique sensitivity, authorities noted, referencing the long list of unresolved missing person cases across the country that have left dozens of families waiting for answers and closure about their loved ones.

    Police Commissioner Everton Jeffers has publicly reaffirmed that both he and the entire Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda remain fully committed to following every credible lead and examining every piece of information connected to the claim. Jeffers stressed that the force will leave no stone unturned in efforts to resolve this case and bring answers to waiting families.

    The Police Administration extended gratitude to the public for their ongoing cooperation and patience during the investigation, confirming that official updates will be released to the nation immediately once verified information becomes available. Members of the public with details to share can contact the Criminal Investigations Department directly at 462-3913 or 462-3914, call the national emergency line 911, or speak to any on-duty police officer. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-TIPS (8477).

  • The Defenders: Champions at Last

    The Defenders: Champions at Last

    After eight consecutive years of near-misses and relentless pursuit of top honors, the Belize City Defenders have written their names into Belizean basketball history, securing their first-ever National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) championship in a gripping Game Five showdown on Friday night.

    The title-deciding match unfolded at the Orange Walk Multipurpose Complex, where the Defenders held off a fierce comeback push from the Orange Walk Running Rebels to close out the best-of-five series. Entering the critical final game with a 2-1 series lead, the Belize City side held firm through four tense quarters, and when the final whistle sounded, a packed crowd of traveling supporters erupted into jubilant celebration, with players and coaching staff embracing on the court amid falling confetti.

    For veteran forward Nigel Jones, the long-awaited trophy carries far more weight than any individual career honor. Jones, who has been with the franchise through all eight years of its existence, spoke post-game about the intentional sacrifices he made this season to prioritize team success. “I’ve been showing up to the court for decades, and this championship was the one gap on my career resume I couldn’t fill,” Jones explained. “Going into this season, I made a promise to myself: I would cut out every distraction that had kept me from being fully focused on this team. I didn’t care about winning MVP, I didn’t care about averaging 20 points a game — all I wanted was to lift this trophy this year. I thank God that he let me and my teammates get this done; we never would have reached this moment without his grace.”

    General Manager John Marsden, who helped launch the Defenders franchise back in 2018, echoed Jones’ gratitude, turning praise toward the fanbase and corporate partners that stuck with the organization through its rebuilding years. “I just have so much gratitude for every single Defenders fan that has ridden with us from our very first game in 2018 all the way to this night,” Marsden said. “And I have to thank every sponsor that stayed with us through the ups and downs, when we weren’t winning and when we were still building something special.”

    Marsden called the championship win one of the most meaningful moments of his entire life, placing it alongside the biggest personal milestones. “This organization takes so much pride in competing at the highest level, and in making sure every one of our players is supported and taken care of the way they deserve,” he noted. “When that final buzzer went off, I felt a joy that I haven’t experienced since the birth of my second child. This is the happiest moment of my professional life, hands down.”

    For the Defenders franchise and its loyal fanbase, the win brings a close to an eight-year wait for a first major title, cementing the team’s place as one of Belize’s top competitive basketball programs and setting the stage for a title defense run in the 2027 NEBL season.