Carib Scope

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  • DOMLEC investigates major power outage linked to Fond Colé substation fault

    DOMLEC investigates major power outage linked to Fond Colé substation fault

    Residents and businesses across the Caribbean island nation of Dominica woke to an unexpected disruption on the morning of Wednesday, June 17, 2026, when a major unplanned power outage cut electricity service to a large share of the country’s customer base. According to official updates from Dominica Electricity Services Ltd. (DOMLEC), the island’s primary electricity provider, the outage first took effect at approximately 4:40 a.m. local time, before the company released its first public statement on the incident just under two hours later at 6:15 a.m.

    In that initial announcement, DOMLEC confirmed the widespread interruption but noted that the root cause was still undergoing active investigation, pledging to share new details promptly as they emerged from on-site assessments. Within hours, preliminary technical inspections had pinpointed the source of the failure: an unanticipated fault along the transmission link connecting two critical pieces of the island’s energy infrastructure — the newly completed Fond Colé Substation and the adjacent Fond Colé Power Plant.

    The Fond Colé Substation is a linchpin of Dominica’s national electricity grid. It functions as the central connecting hub that links output from two major generation facilities — the Fond Colé Diesel Plant and the island’s geothermal power plant — to distribution networks that deliver power to end users across the entire country. This central role meant that a fault in the link between the substation and power plant triggered cascading outages that reached far beyond the Fond Colé area.

    Before full service can be restored, DOMLEC technical teams are required to follow strict safety protocols to fully isolate the fault, a step designed to prevent additional damage to the already stressed grid and protect field crews carrying out repairs. Because of this necessary pre-restoration work, the utility warned that many affected communities could remain without power for extended stretches through Wednesday morning as repair and restoration efforts move forward.

    DOMLEC has committed to pushing out continuous public updates as the investigation continues and restoration work progresses. In a public statement, the company offered a formal apology to all customers impacted by the unplanned outage, acknowledging the significant inconvenience the disruption has caused to daily routines across the island. The utility also expressed gratitude to the public for their patience and understanding as technical crews work to resolve the fault and restore full, safe power service as quickly as possible.

  • Environment Department Says SIRF Air Conditioning Units Fully Allocated

    Environment Department Says SIRF Air Conditioning Units Fully Allocated

    The public has snapped up every air conditioning unit available through the government’s Sustainable Island Resource Framework (SIRF) Fund, leaving no additional units in stock for interested applicants, the Department of Environment confirmed in an official statement this week.

    In the announcement, department officials noted that at present, there is no clear timeline for when a new shipment of subsidized air conditioners will be made available to the public. As soon as additional units are secured for the program, updates will be shared across all official government communication channels to keep interested communities informed.

    Beyond the air conditioner allocation update, the department also reminded residents looking to make energy-efficient home upgrades that polycarbonate sheets, another product offered under the SIRF Fund’s sustainability initiative, are still available for purchase.

    The department closed its statement by expressing gratitude for the widespread public engagement and support for the SIRF program, and encouraged residents to subscribe to and follow the Department of Environment’s official social media and communication platforms to receive real-time updates on program stock and future offerings.

  • Bajan pharma ‘could reduce imports, bring in forex’

    Bajan pharma ‘could reduce imports, bring in forex’

    Against a backdrop of long-standing economic vulnerability stemming from heavy reliance on imported goods and limited domestic manufacturing, Barbados is taking a landmark step toward building a homegrown pharmaceutical sector through new legislative framework. Minister of Energy, Business Development and Commerce Kerrie Symmonds outlined the ambitious plan while presenting the Barbados Medical Products Bill to the country’s House of Assembly, framing the legislation as a critical pillar of the island nation’s broader strategy to diversify its economy and strengthen supply chain resilience.

    For small island developing states like Barbados, over-dependence on imported medicines and medical supplies has created persistent systemic fragility, a risk laid bare by global supply chain disruptions during recent public health and geopolitical crises, Symmonds explained. The new bill seeks to address this gap by laying the regulatory groundwork to nurture pharmaceutical development and attract investment in the life sciences sector, building on a century of small-scale compounding experience at local industry pioneer Carlisle Laboratories.

    Successive Barbadian administrations have long recognized the responsibility to reduce the country’s economic vulnerabilities by expanding domestic production and advancing greater self-sufficiency, Symmonds noted. The legacy of limited manufacturing capacity has long put the small island at a competitive disadvantage relative to larger economies, making the development of a national pharmaceutical industry a core priority for long-term economic transformation. Beyond building regulatory infrastructure, the minister emphasized that growing the sector will require a deliberate cultural shift toward upholding the strict international quality standards that govern global pharmaceuticals.

    The immediate benefits of a domestic pharmaceutical industry extend beyond stabilizing supply chains, Symmonds argued. By producing needed medicines locally, Barbados will cut the significant outflow of foreign exchange spent on imported medical products, freeing up critical capital for other national development priorities. Looking further ahead, the government’s long-term vision positions the emerging sector as an export-led engine of economic growth. If developed successfully, the industry will not only meet domestic demand but also serve regional markets across the Caribbean and larger consumer markets in Latin America, generating a valuable new stream of foreign exchange earnings for the island.

    “This initiative represents a transformative shift for our economy,” Symmonds told lawmakers. “It lays the foundation for an economic engine that will earn foreign exchange for Barbados while serving the health needs of populations across the Caribbean and Latin America.” In line with the government’s commitment to economic independence, the bill marks the most significant step Barbados has taken to turn this long-held strategic goal into tangible action.

  • Search Warrants Can Now Be Executed on Sundays Under New Legislation

    Search Warrants Can Now Be Executed on Sundays Under New Legislation

    In a landmark legislative move on Tuesday, the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda has passed the Magistrate’s Court (Amendment) Bill 2026, a set of revisions to the country’s decades-old Magistrate’s Court Act that dramatically broaden the scope of search warrant access and execution for national law enforcement agencies.

    The push for reform grew out of widespread cross-party consensus that existing statutory language had grown outdated, creating unnecessary barriers that hindered police efforts to probe and curtail criminal activity across the islands. Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin, the lead sponsor of the bill, emphasized that the core goal of the adjustments is to bring investigative protocols in line with 21st-century criminal trends, granting law enforcement much-needed flexibility to gather critical evidence during active probes.

    Three major changes mark the most significant departures from the original legislation. First, the revised act lifts longstanding restrictions that limited search warrant issuance to only specific categories of criminal offences, now allowing warrants to be approved for any illegal act under national law. Second, the reforms for the first time permit law enforcement to execute search warrants on Sundays, a change that government legislators framed as critical to stopping suspects from exploiting weekend gaps to destroy evidence or evade detection by authorities. Third, the new rules allow investigators to legally seize any evidence of criminal activity uncovered during a warranted search, even if that specific material was not explicitly listed in the original warrant application, so long as the evidence connects to a committed offence.

    Government supporters of the bill argued that modern criminal networks have systematically exploited outdated procedural loopholes to avoid accountability, and that updating investigative powers is a necessary step to strengthen public safety and speed up the pace of criminal probes. While opposition lawmakers ultimately backed the legislation, they raised targeted concerns about maintaining robust checks on the expanded powers, stressing that judicial oversight and constitutional protections for citizens must remain fully intact to prevent potential abuse.

    In response to these concerns, Benjamin confirmed that the amendments retain the non-negotiable requirement of judicial pre-authorization for all search warrants, with magistrates retaining full authority to approve or deny applications based on established legal standards. The search warrant reform was one piece of a broader slate of legislative updates put before Parliament during the sitting, which also included votes on the Fatal Accidents Bill, Electronic Crimes Amendment Bill, and Immigration and Passport Amendment Bill.

    Once the bill receives formal executive assent and is published in the official government gazette, the amendments will go into effect, granting all authorized law enforcement agencies across Antigua and Barbuda their expanded search authorities immediately.

  • Antigua Facing Extreme Drought Conditions Through July, Forecaster Warns

    Antigua Facing Extreme Drought Conditions Through July, Forecaster Warns

    The twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is staring down an 80%+ probability of prolonged extreme drought conditions lasting through the end of July, pushing national meteorological officials to issue urgent calls for widespread water conservation as significant precipitation remains off the forecast in the near future.

    The official drought warning was delivered Tuesday by senior meteorologist Leonard Josiah, who shared that updated analysis from the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service confirms the country has already entered a stretch of historically abnormal dry conditions.

    “From May through July, we face a greater than 80% chance of remaining in an extreme drought classification,” Josiah stated during a public evening weather broadcast. He went on to clarify that this extreme drought designation puts the country just one tier below the most severe drought category used by international forecasting bodies, meaning conditions will be far drier than typical seasonal patterns. “We are looking at exceptionally dry conditions across the entire country,” he added.

    Josiah emphasized that immediate action from residents is critical to protect existing freshwater reserves, urging households and businesses to prioritize reduced water usage and implement rainwater harvesting infrastructure wherever possible. “Every resident needs to cut back on non-essential water use, do everything you can to conserve what we have and capture any small amounts of rain that do come,” he advised.

    While meteorologists have tracked a weak atmospheric trough and scattered pockets of moisture moving through the Eastern Caribbean this week, experts confirmed total rainfall will be negligible. Josiah noted that the event will bring no more than light, scattered sprinkles, as overall atmospheric moisture levels remain far too low to generate the widespread, steady showers needed to replenish depleted water stores. For the remainder of the work week, only a slim chance of brief passing showers is forecast. The only projected chance of measurable rainfall comes Sunday, when a tropical wave is expected to pass through the region. Even with this system, however, meteorologists warn that the ongoing drought will not be broken. “We may see a few light showers, but drought conditions will persist across the nation,” Josiah said.

    The Antigua and Barbuda warning comes as regional climate agencies monitor expanding drought conditions across multiple Eastern Caribbean island nations. The prolonged dry stretch has sparked growing concerns about falling water storage levels, damage to local agricultural sectors, and broader threats to national water security as the region enters the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.

  • Skerrit says 2026-2027 budget will balance compassion with fiscal prudence

    Skerrit says 2026-2027 budget will balance compassion with fiscal prudence

    As Dominica enters the final stages of preparing its 2026-2027 national budget, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has outlined the administration’s core policy framework, which centers on balancing targeted support for vulnerable communities, inclusive economic growth, and long-term fiscal sustainability amid ongoing global economic headwinds. Skerrit made the announcement during a recent press briefing, following a week of national public consultations that brought together everyday citizens, local business owners, community groups, and other key stakeholders to gather input ahead of the budget’s finalization.

    Skerrit emphasized that these public consultations are a cornerstone of the government’s commitment to building a budget that aligns with the lived realities, long-term ambitions, and pressing priorities of the Dominican people. Participants in the process were invited to share their personal perspectives, raise unaddressed concerns, and submit policy recommendations for the administration’s consideration.

    Addressing the challenging global economic context shaping this year’s budget, Skerrit noted that countries across the world continue to grapple with unprecedented levels of economic uncertainty. Persistent global inflation, lingering supply chain disruptions, escalating geopolitical tensions, and growing climate-related shocks have combined to place enormous financial pressure on both working households and national governments, and Dominica is not insulated from these overlapping challenges, he said.

    Against this backdrop, the administration has anchored its budget approach to four non-negotiable goals: protecting the country’s most vulnerable populations, driving broad-based economic growth, expanding accessible opportunities for all citizens, and upholding disciplined fiscal responsibility and macroeconomic stability. Skerrit confirmed that the upcoming budget will strike a deliberate balance between fiscal prudence and compassionate policy-making, with targeted investments across key priority sectors.

    Key policy priorities to be advanced through the budget include measures to ease the growing cost-of-living burden on Dominican families, support sustained private sector job creation, strengthen domestic agriculture and national food security, boost public investment in healthcare and education systems, expand economic and social opportunities for young people, and continue large-scale infrastructure investments that are transforming local communities and strengthening the country’s climate resilience. The budget will also introduce reforms to streamline business processes, making it easier and more profitable to operate in Dominica, Skerrit added.

    The Prime Minister also revealed that the administration will conduct a comprehensive review of all existing economic concessions and public support measures to assess their effectiveness, and will introduce any additional targeted interventions that prove both necessary and fiscally sustainable. Moving forward, the government remains focused on strengthening Dominica’s core economic foundations and securing the long-term funding required to advance its national development agenda.

    A central pillar of the government’s investment strategy to date has been the country’s well-known Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Program, which has served as a critical source of financing for national development projects across sectors. Skerrit emphasized that the program has directly benefited Dominican communities through funding for affordable housing, expanded healthcare facilities, improved public education infrastructure, climate resilience projects, national transportation and public infrastructure, and social safety net programs, as well as investments that have driven private sector growth across the country.

    To protect the program’s integrity, reputation, and alignment with national interests, the administration is implementing new procedural reforms. Going forward, all successful CBI applicants will be required to visit Dominica in person to receive their official passports, a change designed to give new economic citizens a deeper understanding of Dominica’s people, unique culture, and national development goals. The government is also exploring additional initiatives to strengthen engagement between new economic citizens and local communities, while ensuring the program meets evolving international regulatory standards and expectations.

    Skerrit stressed that reforms to CBI programs across the Caribbean are a regional collective effort, not a challenge unique to Dominica. The country is moving in lockstep with its regional neighbors to protect a program that has delivered tangible public benefits, from building new homes, hospitals and schools to funding agricultural development and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises that drive local employment, he explained.

    Full details of the CBI reforms and the full 2026-2027 budget package will be officially announced when the budget is presented to the public. Skerrit concluded that the budget is framed within a broader national strategy to improve quality of life for all Dominican citizens, build a more secure and prosperous future for all segments of society, and position the country to maximize the benefits of the major public and private investments the government has already put in place across the nation.

  • Caddle warns on unsafe imports, misleading medical claims

    Caddle warns on unsafe imports, misleading medical claims

    Barbados is moving forward with landmark new legislation aimed at closing long-standing gaps in medical product oversight, responding to growing public alarm over the circulation of banned, untested goods and misleading cure-all advertising that targets vulnerable consumers.

    The Barbados Medical Products Bill, which was introduced for debate in the country’s House of Assembly this Tuesday, will bring sweeping new checks to all medical and health-related goods imported into the island nation, Economic Affairs and Planning Minister Marsha Caddle told lawmakers. Caddle outlined a long-running pattern of unsafe trade that has put Barbadians at risk: items that have been pulled from shelves and banned in major global markets for health and safety reasons often remain widely available in Barbados for years after their prohibition elsewhere.

    In one particularly egregious example, Caddle noted that some products explicitly marked “for export only” by their manufacturing countries end up on Barbadian retail shelves. This practice, she explained, reveals a cynical dynamic where producers offload goods deemed too dangerous for domestic use in their home jurisdictions to smaller markets like Barbados, treating local consumers as disposable.

    Beyond unsafe imported products, the bill also targets rampant unsubstantiated health advertising that has exploited Barbadians seeking affordable care for serious medical conditions. Caddle told the House that unregulated vendors across the capital Bridgetown openly advertise untested products as cures for terminal illnesses like cancer and a wide range of other ailments, preying on people who may delay or forgo conventional medical treatment due to cost, long wait times for appointments, or longstanding cultural trust in home remedies.

    Minister Caddle emphasized that this practice, where vendors sell cheap untested goods to desperate consumers under false promises of healing, borders on criminal activity. Current law does not give regulators the power to crack down on these false claims, whether they are posted on storefront signs, broadcast on radio or television, or spread by word of mouth, leaving a critical regulatory gap that endangers public health. The new legislation will require all health benefit claims for medical products to be independently tested and verified before they can be marketed to the public.

    In addition to cracking down on fraud, the bill will also align Barbados’ over-the-counter medication rules with global regulatory standards. Caddle noted that many medications available without a prescription in Barbados are restricted to prescription-only access in other high-regulation jurisdictions, for well-documented safety reasons. The new law will also initiate a broader public conversation about safe consumption of medical and health products among Barbadians, Caddle added.

    Calling the long unaddressed gap in regulation a critical threat to public welfare, Caddle urged vendors currently engaging in false advertising to voluntarily end the practice before the bill becomes law, appealing to their conscience to stop exploiting vulnerable Barbadian consumers.

  • Parliament Approves Immigration Amnesty Beginning July 1

    Parliament Approves Immigration Amnesty Beginning July 1

    Lawmakers in Antigua and Barbuda have formally passed a landmark bill that opens the door for a targeted immigration amnesty programme, enabling qualifying undocumented migrants already residing in the twin-island nation to bring their immigration status into line with national law over a 60-day period kicking off on July 1.

    The 2026 Immigration and Passport (Amendment) Bill secured approval in the country’s House of Representatives this Tuesday. Speaking after the vote, Immigration Minister E.P. Chet Greene framed the initiative as a long-awaited opportunity for eligible non-citizens to step forward voluntarily and resolve their uncertain legal status, rather than remaining in the shadows of the country’s immigration system.

    Stretching from July 1 through to August 31, the amnesty window sets clear, specific requirements for all prospective applicants. To be considered, candidates must supply official police clearance records from every country they have lived in over the past four years, a mandate designed to carry out thorough background checks before any status adjustment is granted. Beyond documentation requirements, applicants are also required to pay two separate statutory fees: a $500 processing charge and an additional $150 endorsement fee for the change of legal status, bringing the total fixed cost of participation in the programme to $650.

    Repeating the eligibility requirement for parliamentary record during the bill’s debate, Greene confirmed that the four-year, multi-territory police clearance mandate applies to all candidates seeking amnesty under the new framework. To prevent repeated exploitation of the government’s programmatic generosity, the legislation also includes strict eligibility restrictions that block repeat applicants from accessing the initiative. Under the new rules, any individual who has already benefited from three previous immigration amnesty programmes will be automatically barred from qualifying for the 2026 iteration.

    “A person who has applied for amnesty on three previous occasions is ineligible and will not qualify for the amnesty extended here and now by the government,” Greene told assembled lawmakers, reinforcing the government’s commitment to balanced, accountable implementation of the programme.

    Senior government officials have clarified that the core goals of the programme are twofold: first, to formalize the status of undocumented migrants who already live and work in Antigua and Barbuda, contributing to the nation’s economy and communities, and second, to uphold national security standards by ensuring every approved applicant undergoes mandatory screening before being granted legal status.

    This new amnesty legislation forms a central plank of the Gaston Browne administration’s broader push to overhaul and strengthen national immigration administration, bringing a larger share of the country’s resident population into compliance with existing immigration rules and regulations. In the coming weeks leading up to the amnesty’s launch on July 1, authorities are scheduled to release full, detailed guidance on the step-by-step application process to help eligible candidates prepare their submissions.

  • Port Authority Sets Record With Five Cargo Ships Discharging Simultaneously

    Port Authority Sets Record With Five Cargo Ships Discharging Simultaneously

    The Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority has marked a groundbreaking new milestone in maritime operations, pulling off the unprecedented simultaneous discharge of five cargo vessels at the Port of St. John’s on June 1. Port officials frame the achievement as clear proof of the enhanced flexibility and efficiency delivered by the country’s recent port infrastructure upgrades. According to General Manager Darwin Telemaque, this historic operation would not have been possible without close, seamless coordination across port staff, customs authorities, shipping agents and a range of other industry stakeholders. “Five cargo ships discharging simultaneously is a remarkable achievement and reflects the coordinated effort of our entire port community,” Telemaque stated in a press briefing following the operation. The simultaneous berthing was made possible by a strategic adaptive adjustment: leveraging unused cruise ship berths at Heritage Quay during the cruise industry’s annual off-season. This creative reallocation of space allowed specialized yacht carriers to dock and commence unloading immediately, while standard container operations continued uninterrupted at the port’s dedicated container terminals. Telemaque explained that this flexible arrangement eliminates the long waiting periods vessels previously faced anchored offshore, when they had to queue for available space at the congested container terminal. The targeted adjustment grew out of direct discussions with Sevenstar Yacht Transport, one of the world’s largest yacht shipping firms. The company had indicated it would increase the number of calls to Antigua and Barbuda if the port could offer expanded berthing flexibility during periods of low cruise traffic. Prior to this new policy, Telemaque noted, yacht carriers were routinely forced to wait one to two days anchored outside the harbor before a berth became available for unloading. “This is one of the creative adjustments we have made to improve service delivery and maximize the use of our existing infrastructure,” Telemaque said of the new berthing strategy. Beyond the single day’s operational achievement, Telemaque emphasized that the successful simultaneous discharge demonstrates the tangible benefits of the port’s ongoing modernization program, and strengthens Antigua and Barbuda’s competitive standing in the Caribbean regional maritime sector. Port Authority data shows the facility already welcomed a record 49 yacht carrier calls in 2025, a figure that dramatically outpaces the historical annual average of roughly 18 visits. Looking forward, official projections indicate annual yacht carrier calls could climb even further, to a range of 70 to 80 vessels in coming years. “We continue to strive, we continue to advance, and we remain committed to improving berth utilization, service quality, and operational efficiency,” Telemaque said. He extended credit to frontline port employees and cross-sector industry partners for their collaborative work to deliver the milestone, framing the achievement as another critical step forward in the country’s goal to establish itself as a leading regional maritime hub in the Caribbean.

  • CAF urges central private sector role in growth plans

    CAF urges central private sector role in growth plans

    During high-level talks with Barbados’ Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn on Tuesday, top leadership from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) laid out a clear roadmap for Barbados’ ongoing economic rebound, framing sustained growth as dependent on centered private sector investment and announcing plans to scale up direct lending to local businesses in support of the government’s homegrown fiscal reform program.

    The discussions centered on identifying new funding mechanisms to align with the island nation’s flagship economic recovery initiative, BERT 3.0, with CAF executives emphasizing the central role private enterprise must play in delivering inclusive, long-term development. Opening the talks, CAF Caribbean Regional Manager Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy anchored the bank’s approach in global development data, noting that across developing economies, 90% of all employment is generated by the private sector.

    “For countries committed to expanding inclusive growth, creating quality jobs, boosting exports, and building long-term economic resilience, the private sector cannot be sidelined as an afterthought in development planning — it has to lead the agenda,” she explained. She went on to highlight that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Barbados’ economy, accounting for nearly 60% of all private sector jobs on the island. For context, tourism contributes roughly 31% of Barbados’ total gross domestic product and supports one in every three positions across the country’s labor market, making the sector a core focus for recovery efforts.

    To unlock broad-based growth, Dr. Richards-Kennedy outlined three key priorities: upgrading core national infrastructure, scaling up investment in renewable energy, and forging collaborative public-private partnerships (PPPs) that leverage the strengths of both sectors. “The critical question we are addressing today is how we can work together to unlock the untapped potential of Barbados’ private sector,” she said. “How do we help more local firms invest in expansion, enter new export markets, and drive innovation? This is where well-designed public-private partnerships become irreplaceable, especially for small island states that must carefully manage their debt ceilings and limited financing resources.”

    CAF, a regional multilateral development bank governed by the finance ministers of its 21 member countries, focuses its work on addressing priority development challenges across Latin America and the Caribbean. CAF Vice President for the Private Sector Antonio Silveira confirmed that the bank will significantly expand its direct lending to private businesses across the region over the next two years, with Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago ranked as top priority markets for this expansion in the Caribbean.

    Silveira added that the bank will target its support to four high-impact sectors: agriculture, renewable energy, digital technology, and tourism, all of which align directly with the goals laid out in BERT 3.0. Beyond financing, CAF also aims to strengthen cross-regional business ties between Latin America and the Caribbean. “Our strategy combines accessible credit, targeted technical assistance, and knowledge sharing to position the private sector as the primary engine of job creation and the leading driver of national development,” he explained.

    To support Barbados’ large cohort of informal and unregistered businesses, Silveira advocated for expanded adoption of digital financial tools, pointing to the island’s upcoming launch of its domestic instant payment system BiMPay as a promising step forward to expand access to digital banking for underserved entrepreneurs. While CAF will primarily work through local domestic financial institutions to reach small and medium-sized businesses, Silveira confirmed the bank will make direct strategic investments in large-scale projects that align with its development mandates. One of the first of these commitments is a $50 million investment in Barbados’ new Blue Green Bank, a dedicated financial institution focused on climate and sustainable development projects.

    Silveira also emphasized that CAF maintains a conservative risk management framework for private sector financing, meaning project due diligence and approval can take longer than the faster turnaround the bank is able to offer for sovereign lending to national governments. “For sovereign loans, our approval process is quite rapid,” he noted. “For non-sovereign structured finance, we follow the same rigorous due diligence process as any other responsible lender, because repayment depends entirely on the project’s operating revenues. We do not want to raise false expectations about quick approvals, but the end results for well-vetted projects can be extremely positive for both the bank and the Barbadian economy.”