Carib Scope

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  • OECS launches ‘PEARL Legacy’ campaign to sustain education transformation across the region

    OECS launches ‘PEARL Legacy’ campaign to sustain education transformation across the region

    As the official implementation phase of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Programme for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning (PEARL) approaches its June 30, 2026 end date, regional education leaders are shifting focus to cementing the initiative’s decades of progress and embedding transformative change into local education systems across the Eastern Caribbean.

    To guide this critical transition, the OECS Commission has announced the launch of a new Communication for Development (C4D) initiative named “The OECS PEARL Legacy.” The campaign marks a deliberate shift away from centralized regional project management, moving into a new era centered on local ownership and community-led progress for education across the bloc’s eight participating member states.

    Over the course of PEARL’s implementation, the programme delivered sweeping improvements to education across the Eastern Caribbean. Key achievements included targeted investments in school infrastructure, comprehensive updates to outdated curricula, landmark policy reforms for early childhood education (ECE) and special education needs (SEN) support, and the rollout of regional digital learning infrastructure to boost classroom teaching and remote learning access.

    The PEARL Legacy campaign is built on the foundation of these gains, with a core goal of transferring long-term stewardship of the programme’s improvements from regional project teams to national and local education stakeholders. The initiative engages a broad cross-section of the education ecosystem, from cabinet-level policymakers and school administrators to classroom teachers, parents, and primary caregivers, to mobilize continued action at every level of the system.

    Beyond simply preserving existing progress, the campaign frames its work as advancing “educational regeneration” — a long-term vision that lets local leadership, community innovation, and broad public participation drive continuous evolution of regional education systems. To advance this mission, the initiative centers on six clear priority areas designed to strengthen PEARL’s lasting impact:

    First, the campaign will support regional education leaders to translate overarching PEARL policy frameworks into actionable national education policies and on-the-ground initiatives. Second, it will prioritize educator wellbeing, pushing for the elimination of non-essential administrative tasks that contribute to widespread teacher burnout across the region.

    Third, the campaign will expand the role of the OECS Learning Hub, home to the bloc’s Harmonized Primary Curriculum. Leaders are positioning the platform as a culturally responsive, locally tailored alternative to generic global AI learning tools, designed specifically to meet the unique needs of OECS students and classrooms.

    Fourth, the initiative advocates for sustained long-term public and private investment in three core areas: early childhood education, special education needs programming, and curriculum and assessment infrastructure, to guarantee equitable access to opportunity for all students across the region. Fifth, it aims to reframe public perception of national and regional diagnostic assessments, shifting the narrative from these tools being seen as high-stakes evaluations to diagnostic “educational health checks” that drive student growth and systemic improvement. Sixth, the campaign will highlight the value of the MyPD teacher professional development platform, demonstrating how ongoing upskilling for educators directly translates to broader social and educational progress across the Eastern Caribbean.

    To reach diverse stakeholders across the region, the OECS Commission has developed a full suite of multi-channel outreach tools and engagement activities, including branded posters, data infographics, explanatory videos, live virtual broadcasts, stakeholder surveys, regular newsletters, and press updates. The three-month campaign will run through June, July, and August 2026, leveraging a mix of traditional and digital channels: from in-person community meetings and regional broadcast programming to social media, email campaigns, and local print newspapers, to ensure broad public access and participation.

    The launch of the PEARL Legacy initiative coincides with the upcoming OECS PEARL official close-out conference, scheduled to take place in Saint Lucia from June 24 to 26, 2026. The OECS Commission is encouraging education stakeholders and members of the public to follow official social media channels of the Commission and national education ministries across the region for the latest updates. It has also extended an open invitation to media organizations and community members to join this historic transition from a time-bound regional project to permanent, community-owned education transformation across the Eastern Caribbean.

  • Cayman Islands defeat Barbados in hard fought match

    Cayman Islands defeat Barbados in hard fought match

    On June 13, the Truman Bodden Stadium played host to a physically demanding Rugby XV showdown that ended with the Cayman Islands securing an emphatic 46–21 win over regional rival Barbados.

    Barbados arrived at the match brimming with confidence, riding a wave of dominant form from their recent regional campaign. Just two weeks prior, on May 30, the side steamrolled St Vincent and the Grenadines with a lopsided 68–0 victory, and followed that up with a tightly controlled 21–3 win over Guyana on June 6 at the iconic Historic Garrison Savannah. A major setback hit the side ahead of kickoff, however, as long-time captain Enrique Oxley was forced to miss the encounter due to an unexpected injury.

    The host nation got off to a flying start, crossing the try line within the opening minutes through winger Bryce Dean. Fly-half Harry Clark successfully converted the score, putting the Cayman Islands on the board early and setting the tone for a fast-paced contest. The first half was packed with end-to-end action, with both sides throwing everything into attacking play. When the referee blew the halftime whistle, the Cayman Islands held a narrow six-point lead, 27–21.

    The second half opened with a flurry of substitution changes from both coaching staff, as managers looked to inject fresh energy into their fatigued lineups. For the opening 12 minutes of the half, aggressive defense from both sides kept the scoreboard unchanged. It was not until the 57th minute that the Cayman Islands broke through the Barbados defensive line again, extending their advantage to 39–21.

    Over the remaining 23 minutes of play, Barbados threw everything they had at the Cayman Islands defense, launching repeated attacking waves in an attempt to close the gap. Despite relentless pressure and constant physical contact across the pitch, the side was unable to add any points to their tally in the final period. On the opposite side of the ball, Justin May, Bryce Doran and Harry Clark all added late scores for the Cayman Islands, padding the final margin to 25 points.

    Heading into the match, World Rugby rankings reflected the close parity between the two sides: Barbados sat 68th in the global rankings, while the Cayman Islands entered the contest five spots higher at 62nd, a gap that the final result on the scoreboard reflected.

  • Derde helft WK 2026: Zwitserland breekt Bosnië laat in duel, 4-1

    Derde helft WK 2026: Zwitserland breekt Bosnië laat in duel, 4-1

    A dramatic late game breakdown gave Switzerland a convincing 4-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in a hotly contested Group B match played in Los Angeles, with all decisive goals coming in the final 15 minutes of play. What looked set to be a tight, low-scoring draw for most of 90 minutes shifted dramatically after a series of impactful substitutions from the Swiss side unlocked a stubborn Bosnia-Herzegovina defense that had held firm for more than an hour.

  • PM renews CARICOM reparations call at Accra conference

    PM renews CARICOM reparations call at Accra conference

    On Thursday, at the NEXT STEPS 2026 High-Level Consultative Conference held in Accra, the capital of Ghana, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), delivered a forceful address that renewed the regional bloc’s longstanding demand for reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade. Mottley challenged global leaders to move beyond symbolic acknowledgement of the atrocities of centuries of slavery and address the persistent, intergenerational harm the system left behind, stressing that advocates will accept “no retreat on repair”.

    The Accra gathering, which builds on years of CARICOM advocacy and landmark United Nations General Assembly resolutions condemning the trafficking of enslaved Africans, brought together a cross-segment group of stakeholders: African and Caribbean policymakers, academic researchers, civil society representatives, and international partners. Attendees gathered to outline concrete steps to implement the UN resolution, turning global recognition of historical harm into tangible action.

    In her speech, Mottley pointed to a striking global double standard: while the international community broadly and unanimously condemns a wide range of crimes against humanity in the modern era, it has failed to reach the same unified consensus around the historic crime of chattel slavery. “We have not found the moral courage to state unanimously across humanity that this grave crime against humanity that persisted for centuries ought to be declared so by all,” she said, adding that “That others choose to remain silent is a reflection of them, not of us.”

    Mottley traced CARICOM’s advocacy for reparations back nearly a decade, framing the Accra conference as a turning point in the global movement. Reflecting on Barbados’ unflinching confrontation with its own role in the history of slavery, she noted that the island’s 1661 Slave Code predated France’s well-documented Code Noir by 20 years, and went on to serve as a template for slave laws across other Caribbean colonies and parts of what became the United States. This legal framework stripped generations of enslaved Africans of their most fundamental rights by classifying them as subhuman property, a dehumanization that inflicted harm that echoes through communities to this day. “It is the categorisation of us as subhuman. It is the categorisation of us as chattel, as property, that stripped us of our dignity first and foremost, but equally removed from us the choices that are necessary in life to truly express freedom,” Mottley explained.

    Crucially, the prime minister emphasized that the global push for reparations is not rooted in animosity or a desire to deepen divisions. Instead, it is a necessary step toward collective healing for all humanity. “The language used from this platform this morning is not one of aggression, is not one of violence, but it is one of the necessities for healing for humanity,” she said, repeating the core mantra of the movement: “There should be no retreat on repair.”

    Mottley also highlighted CARICOM’s updated 10-point reparatory justice plan, which was distributed to all conference attendees. The framework outlines clear, actionable demands including a formal public apology from formerly slave-trading and colonial powers, the restitution of stolen cultural artifacts, investment in public health and education initiatives targeted at affected communities, widespread debt relief for former colonial states, and direct compensation for the enduring socioeconomic impacts of slavery and colonialism.

    Closing her address, Mottley urged unified action from African and Caribbean nations, warning that deliberate external divisions have long undermined progress for marginalized nations in global justice movements. “These committees, however, will only mean something if we can stay together united and not allow division yet again to be the anchor for those who want to win against us,” she said. She added that reparations must be understood not as a charitable gesture toward formerly colonized nations, but as a fundamental requirement of global justice: “Once that process is started, then it becomes easier for us to engage, not as an act of charity, as you have heard from these platforms, but as an act of justice.” Reaffirming the movement’s commitment, Mottley concluded that just as repair is always required after harm is done in any area of life, it is non-negotiable for the centuries-long crime of chattel slavery: “Our role is to ensure that there is no retreat from our requests and that we recognise that repair comes after recognition.”

  • Sandals Foundation Invests Ec$38,000 In Youth Enterprise Through Entrepreneurship Edge Programme

    Sandals Foundation Invests Ec$38,000 In Youth Enterprise Through Entrepreneurship Edge Programme

    A new push to grow youth-led economic development across Antigua and Barbuda has launched this week, backed by a EC$38,000 investment from the Sandals Foundation into the Department of Youth Affairs’ flagship Entrepreneurship Edge Programme. The official kickoff was hosted at the island nation’s Multipurpose Cultural and Exhibition Centre, marking the second consecutive year of public-private collaboration between the foundation and the youth affairs department to cultivate the next wave of local business leaders, innovators, and founders.

    Over the next six weeks, participants will meet twice weekly for interactive training sessions led by veteran industry professionals, successful established entrepreneurs, and specialized subject matter experts. The program is built to serve a diverse group of young people, from current small business owners looking to scale their operations to aspiring entrepreneurs with early-stage ideas they aim to turn into sustainable, revenue-generating ventures. Training modules are designed to equip attendees with hands-on practical skills, long-term strategic planning capabilities, and the confidence required to navigate the complexities of today’s competitive global market, ultimately building businesses that drive broader national economic growth.

    David Latchimy, General Manager of Sandals, praised the Department of Youth Affairs for its unwavering focus on youth advancement and for building a targeted platform that directly addresses the common barriers young founders face when launching and scaling new enterprises. He emphasized that the partnership extends far beyond one-time financial investment, representing a shared long-term vision to nurture homegrown entrepreneurial talent, spark a culture of innovation across the country, and give young people the concrete tools to turn their creative concepts into viable, long-lasting businesses.

    Dr. Jrucilla Samuel, Director of the Department of Youth Affairs, reiterated her department’s ongoing commitment to embedding entrepreneurship as a core career pathway for Antigua and Barbuda’s young population. “By connecting our participants with proven business leaders and opening access to the critical resources they would otherwise struggle to secure, the Entrepreneurship Edge Programme is helping us build a stronger, more resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem across Antigua and Barbuda,” Samuel explained.

    As the Caribbean nation increasingly prioritizes entrepreneurship, innovation, and youth empowerment as core drivers of inclusive national development, this cross-sector partnership stands as a model for effective public-private collaboration. It demonstrates how aligned cooperation between government agencies and private philanthropic organizations can create clear, accessible pathways for young people to participate meaningfully in the national economy and drive long-term sustainable growth.

    The six weeks of intensive training and mentorship will conclude with the Entrepreneurship Edge Expo, a public showcase where all participants will have the opportunity to present their finished business concepts, finished products, and available services to potential investors, customers, and community partners.

    Founded in March 2009 to expand on the decades of community-focused philanthropic work led by parent company Sandals Resorts International, the Sandals Foundation is a registered nonprofit charity across multiple major jurisdictions: it holds registration with the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies in Jamaica, is a CRA-registered charity in Canada, operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States, and is registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales. The organization draws on more than 40 years of commitment to supporting the Caribbean communities where Sandals Resorts operates, focusing its investment on three core impact areas: education, community development, and environmental stewardship. Critically, 100% of all public donations to the foundation go directly toward community-focused programs across the region, with no administrative deductions taken from public contributions.

    The Sandals Foundation says it remains dedicated to supporting initiatives that strengthen Caribbean communities through expanded education opportunities, targeted skills training, leadership development, and broad-based economic empowerment for marginalized groups including young people.

  • Strength & Conditioning Centre named after ‘Twa Ti Né’

    Strength & Conditioning Centre named after ‘Twa Ti Né’

    On a meaningful Thursday ceremony in Saint Lucia, one of the nation’s most beloved and impactful sports figures, Cuthbert “Twa Ti Né” Modeste, received a permanent honor that cements his decades-long contributions to athletics and youth development: a new state-of-the-art strength and conditioning centre at Mindoo Philip Park now bears his name.

    Modeste, a former athlete turned iconic coach and mentor, has spent the bulk of his life nurturing local sporting talent across the island. Through his leadership of the Survivors Track Club, he has shaped the careers of dozens of competitive athletes, including two of Saint Lucia’s most decorated Olympians: Julien Alfred, the nation’s first and only two-time Olympic medalist, and high jumper Jeanelle Scheper. For generations of young aspiring athletes, Modeste has been far more than a coach—he has been a steady guide, advocate, and source of inspiration.

    The new facility marks a major milestone for Saint Lucia’s investment in high-performance sport. Mindoo Philip Park, a bustling multi-purpose venue that hosts training and competition for cricket, football, and track and field, will now offer local and national athletes a dedicated space to build strength and refine their skills. All gym equipment for the centre was donated by the government of Taiwan, making the project a collaborative effort to elevate local sport. This opening follows the recent launch of a similar strength facility at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, with a third location already planned for Philip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort in the coming months to support athlete development across the southern region of the island. Two full-time trainers have already been hired to oversee operations at the Mindoo Philip Park centre.

    Julien Alfred, who first joined Modeste’s program at just 9 years old, was in attendance at the ceremony and shared an emotional tribute to the coach who changed the course of her career. She recalled critical moments when she considered stepping away from athletics entirely, crediting Modeste’s unwavering support for keeping her connected to the sport she loves. “I’m just really happy that Twa Ti Né is getting his flowers while he’s still here,” Alfred said. “Just seeing how much he has poured into the youth and the future generation of Saint Lucia. I came here at the age of nine, and he’s been with me throughout every single journey of my career. Even when I wanted to give up in my career, he’s been there through every single moment. At my early age, getting global medals for Saint Lucia, he’s been there.”

    Senior government leaders joined in the celebration, highlighting both the practical and symbolic importance of the naming. Kenson Casimir, Minister for Education, Youth Development and Sports, described the opening as “both a physical investment in our athletes and a symbolic recognition of the values that Mr Cuthbert Modeste has embodied throughout his life.” Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, who also serves as MP for Castries East, called Modeste an unsung hero of Saint Lucian sport, noting his quiet, consistent impact over decades. “Twa Ti Né is an unsung hero. He did a lot of work quietly, working with athletes, and he had the tenacity and the patience to allow people to develop,” Pierre said.

    In a brief, humble address to attendees, Modeste expressed gratitude for the honor. “I would like to thank all those who acknowledge my objective of making little things happen. Once again, I thank everybody, and thank God. Thank you very much,” he said.

    Christopher Duncan, a former athlete of Modeste’s and long-time associate at the Survivors Track Club, summed up the significance of the moment: “It is often said that a prophet is not honoured in his own land; today we proved otherwise.”

  • Elmer Nah’s Sentencing Adjourned!

    Elmer Nah’s Sentencing Adjourned!

    Three and a half years after a horrific New Year’s Eve shooting left three members of a Belmopan family dead and one injured, the long-awaited sentencing of convicted former police corporal Elmer Nah has been adjourned at the eleventh hour. Presiding trial judge Justice Nigel Pilgrim announced Thursday that he requires additional time to thoroughly review all legal and victim submissions presented to the court, pushing the final sentencing decision to 9 a.m. Friday.

    Nah was found guilty on May 29 of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the 2022 attack that targeted the Ramnarace family in their Belmopan home. The gun violence immediately claimed the lives of brothers Jon and David Ramnarace. Jon’s wife, Vivian Belisle Ramnarace, survived the initial shooting but ultimately died from her injuries later. The fourth victim, Yemi Alberto, escaped the attack with his life.

    During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, prosecution attorneys and surviving members of the Ramnarace family pushed the court to deliver the maximum possible penalty: a life sentence. Their argument centered on the extreme brutality of the crime and the irreversible, lifelong harm the massacre has inflicted on the victim’s extended family and community, asserting that the severity of Nah’s actions demands the harshest punishment allowed under Belizean law.

    The guilty verdict in Nah’s trial rested heavily on a pivotal piece of evidence: the testimony that Vivian Belisle Ramnarace gave prior to her death. In his May ruling, Justice Pilgrim characterized her first-hand account of the attack as consistently credible and reliable, noting that surveillance and body camera video evidence collected by investigators aligned perfectly with her description of the event. The judge also fully rejected Nah’s attempts to account for his whereabouts the night of the shooting, concluding that the former law enforcement officer had intentionally fabricated his story to mislead both investigators and the court.

  • CDB launches regional initiative to explore Caribbean renewable energy grid integration

    CDB launches regional initiative to explore Caribbean renewable energy grid integration

    The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has officially launched a groundbreaking regional technical assistance initiative designed to transform the Caribbean’s energy landscape by scaling up renewable energy adoption and integrating national electricity grids across neighboring nations. Dubbed the Caribbean Regional Electricity Grid Interconnection and Renewable Energy Scaling Technical Assistance Project (CREGI-RES), the effort marks a critical turning point in the region’s decades-long fight to break free from costly, carbon-intensive dependence on imported fossil fuels.

    At the project launch ceremony, key stakeholders including Dr. Sherine Ibrahim, Sustainable Energy Specialist at CDB, and Kyle Farnum, Energy Programme Manager for the European Union, gathered to mark the start of what planners hope will become a blueprint for sustainable energy transition across the small island developing states of the Caribbean. L. O’Reilly Lewis, Director of CDB’s Projects Department, emphasized that collective regional action is the only viable path to solving shared energy challenges that no single nation can tackle alone. “Regional cooperation through this Technical Assistance unlocks opportunities individual countries cannot achieve alone. The potential benefits could be significant and now must be tested through rigorous analysis,” Lewis noted at the event.

    For years, Caribbean nations have faced some of the highest retail electricity prices in the world, a burden directly tied to their overwhelming reliance on imported petroleum and coal to meet domestic power demand. Despite the region holding enormous untapped renewable energy potential—including abundant geothermal reserves, strong offshore wind resources, consistent solar irradiation, and viable hydropower sites—clean energy currently makes up only a small fraction of the region’s total installed generation capacity. CREGI-RES was developed specifically to address this gap by laying the groundwork for coordinated regional action.

    Over the course of the project, technical teams will conduct a comprehensive feasibility assessment of a range of integrated energy solutions. Key areas of analysis include the potential for cross-border submarine electricity interconnections, targeted upgrades to aging transmission infrastructure, and strategies to speed up the deployment of utility-scale renewable energy technologies across the region. The assessment will also quantify how integrated regional energy systems could deliver tangible benefits to consumers, including lower monthly electricity bills, more reliable power supply, reduced vulnerability to volatile global fossil fuel price swings, and strengthened resilience to extreme climate events that increasingly threaten small island energy infrastructure.

    To guide the initiative, CDB will appoint a dedicated full-time Grid Interconnection and Renewable Energy Scaling Advisor, who will lead the development of a detailed actionable regional roadmap. The roadmap will address core barriers to progress, including inconsistent regulatory frameworks, gaps in institutional capacity, and challenges in building competitive regional power markets. The project will also establish cross-cutting thematic working groups and host a series of inclusive stakeholder engagement activities, including regional workshops and country-level dialogue sessions, to identify and resolve regulatory and policy barriers that have historically deterred clean energy investment. A central priority of these efforts is to create an enabling policy and market environment that can attract large-scale long-term private sector financing for renewable energy and grid projects.

    Total funding for the $1.5 million technical assistance project comes from multiple global development partners, aligned around shared climate and energy goals for the Caribbean. CDB is contributing core financing through its Special Funds Resources, with additional support coming from the European Union Caribbean Investment Facility (EU-CIF) Geothermal Risk Mitigation Programme, France’s Agence Française de Développement, and the Government of Canada through its Sustainable Renewable Energy Generation (SuRGE) programme. Implementation of the project is scheduled to run through early 2028, with the first draft of the comprehensive regional roadmap expected to be released for public consultation in 2027.

    CDB officials note that the ultimate success of the initiative will depend on the findings of rigorous technical, environmental, financial, and social assessments, as well as subsequent buy-in and investment commitments from participating Caribbean governments and international funding partners. If realized, the project’s recommendations are expected to deliver widespread benefits including expanded renewable generation capacity, reduced regional carbon emissions, more affordable electricity for households and businesses, improved climate resilience, and new job opportunities in the fast-growing clean energy sector.

    CREGI-RES is a flagship initiative under CDB’s Accelerated Sustainable Energy and Resilience Transition 2030 (ASERT-2030) Framework, and aligns directly with the development bank’s core strategic priority of expanding green energy investment across all its Borrowing Member Countries. The project also aligns with the broader energy transition agenda of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and supports the region’s collective climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, reinforcing the Caribbean’s ambition to take a leading role in the global transition to low-carbon sustainable energy systems.

  • Panton: “Political Leadership is Not a Licence to Enrich Yourself”

    Panton: “Political Leadership is Not a Licence to Enrich Yourself”

    On June 18, 2026, a major political controversy has erupted in Belize’s Belize District, as Opposition Leader Tracy Panton has publicly called for the immediate resignation of sitting Home Affairs Minister Oscar Mira. The demand comes following explosive allegations that Mira steered lucrative government contracts to business entities and individuals connected to his own immediate family.

    Panton laid out her accusations during an appearance on the popular local morning current affairs program *Open Your Eyes* on Thursday, where she outlined a clear stance on ethical governance for public officials. She emphasized that holding elected political leadership does not grant any official permission to use public office for personal, familial or associated corporate financial gain.

    “Being a political officer or being elected to political leadership is not a licence to enrich yourself, to enrich your family, to enrich companies that are affiliated with your family,” Panton stated during the interview. She added that occupying any public office comes with a sacred responsibility to safeguard public funds, warning that misusing political authority for private gain is a fundamental betrayal of the public trust.

    Panton went on to cite what she says is concrete evidence backing the corruption allegations contained within the Belize government’s own SmartStream financial tracking system. According to her, the system’s records show 44 separate payments were processed to a family member of Mira on a single day. Panton called this clear-cut nepotism, and argued that this kind of activity lies at the core of deep-rooted public corruption in the current administration.

    In addition to calling for Mira’s removal from cabinet, Panton also criticized what she frames as a complete lack of response from senior ruling party officials, including Belize’s Prime Minister, who also holds the portfolio of Minister of Finance. She expressed public outrage over the silence from top government leadership, saying every Belizean citizen has the right to be angered by the lack of accountability.

    “Oscar Mira must go. He must resign. He must be removed from cabinet,” Panton declared, issuing a public call to action for all Belizean citizens and good governance advocates to stand with her in demanding accountability for the alleged malfeasance.

  • Tourism growth should not outpace utility planning, NURC chief warns

    Tourism growth should not outpace utility planning, NURC chief warns

    At the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association’s annual general meeting held on Wednesday, June 17, Skeeta Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer of the National Utilities Regulatory Commission (NURC), delivered a critical address calling for a fundamental shift in how the Caribbean island approaches tourism growth. Gibbs issued a clear warning that utility networks cannot be treated as an afterthought in tourism expansion, arguing that robust infrastructure must be embedded at the core of all future development planning.