Carib Scope

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  • Three Acres of Reclaimed Land Planned for Fort James Project

    Three Acres of Reclaimed Land Planned for Fort James Project

    A major redevelopment initiative to revitalize Antigua’s historic Fort James Beach is moving forward after the national Cabinet gave formal approval to a 3-acre coastal land reclamation plan that will lay the groundwork for a new expanded leisure and entertainment hub. The approval was announced during a post-Cabinet press briefing held on Friday by Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant, who framed the expansion as a core pillar of the government’s long-term vision for the iconic coastal site.

    Under the approved plans, the reclaimed land will be developed into a mixed-use recreational district, combining purpose-built entertainment venues, upgraded public gathering spaces, and new visitor amenities tailored to both local residents and growing tourism numbers. The project’s blueprints include a purpose-built amphitheater and flexible event space designed to host a wide range of programming, from large-scale cultural performances and community festivals to tourism-focused special events. To preserve public access to the coastline, the development will also integrate carefully designed landscaped green areas and public park space that will remain open to all visitors.

    In a departure from many coastal reclamation projects that overlook environmental risks, the government has paired the expansion work with a comprehensive suite of shoreline protection interventions designed to tackle longstanding local concerns about coastal erosion. These measures include the construction of groins to trap sediment and reduce sand loss, targeted beach replenishment projects to restore damaged shoreline sections, and retaining walls in vulnerable areas to stabilize coastal terrain.

    Merchant confirmed that preliminary environmental surveys and detailed design planning are already in progress, with government officials set to release additional technical details, construction timelines, and stakeholder engagement plans to the public over the coming weeks. The overall redevelopment project seeks to balance preservation of Fort James’ historic character with economic development focused on growing the coastal tourism sector while improving public recreational infrastructure for local communities.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Promotes Culture, Heritage and Carnival During TV Appearance at Caribbean Week in New York

    Antigua and Barbuda Promotes Culture, Heritage and Carnival During TV Appearance at Caribbean Week in New York

    Against the backdrop of New York’s annual Caribbean Week, the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda took center stage in a televised feature to highlight its rich cultural legacy, centuries-old heritage, and world-famous annual carnival celebration. As a key tourism and cultural outreach event held in one of the world’s most diverse global media hubs, Caribbean Week brings together Caribbean nations to showcase their unique identities to North American audiences, travel industry stakeholders, and cultural enthusiasts alike.

    During the televised appearance, representatives from Antigua and Barbuda’s cultural and tourism departments delved into the layered history that shapes the nation’s identity, from the indigenous Arawak and Kalinago peoples who first inhabited the islands to the diverse cultural influences of African, European, and Caribbean communities that have shaped its traditions over centuries. Officials emphasized that preserving and promoting this shared heritage is a core priority for the government, as culture serves as both a foundational part of national identity and a key driver of sustainable tourism development.

    The focal point of the presentation was the nation’s iconic annual Carnival, a vibrant weeks-long celebration that blends calypso music, vibrant costume parades, street parties, and traditional storytelling. Unlike many other regional carnivals, Antigua and Barbuda’s Carnival retains deep roots in community storytelling and emancipation commemoration, tracing its origins to celebrations of freedom from enslavement that date back to the 19th century. Representatives shared details of the 2024 event’s key highlights, including the annual Panorama steelpan competition, the eagerly anticipated Queen of Carnival pageant, and the closing Parade of Bands that draws thousands of participants and spectators each year.

    In addition to cultural programming, representatives also used the platform to invite international visitors to experience the nation’s natural attractions alongside its cultural offerings, from Antigua’s 365 pristine white-sand beaches to Barbuda’s untouched coral reefs and low-density eco-tourism experiences. The TV appearance reached an estimated audience of more than 1.2 million viewers across the United States and Canada, providing widespread exposure that organizers say will help boost cultural exchange and drive visitor arrivals to the islands in the coming months. Local cultural leaders praised the initiative, noting that global showcases like Caribbean Week help challenge one-dimensional narratives about small island nations and highlight the depth and diversity of their creative and cultural contributions to the world.

    Organizers of Caribbean Week New York noted that Antigua and Barbuda’s presentation was one of the most well-received features of this year’s program, with multiple travel trade outlets and cultural organizations already following up to plan collaborative programming around the nation’s heritage in 2024 and 2025.

  • Heritage minister: Writing surge would close cultural, educational gaps

    Heritage minister: Writing surge would close cultural, educational gaps

    At the launch of a new writing competition tied to Barbados’ annual Season of Emancipation, the country’s Minister of Pan-African Affairs and Heritage Trevor Prescod has issued a pressing call to action, warning that the nation faces a critical shortage of homegrown writers whose work is essential to protecting Barbados’ unique cultural identity and driving inclusive national development. Prescod framed the literary sector as a dangerously underrepresented pillar in the ongoing regional movement to preserve indigenous Caribbean heritage, noting that the current gap in locally produced content threatens to erode connection to national history among younger generations.

    Highlighting that the dearth of Barbadian literature stretches across educational and popular spaces, Prescod appealed to both aspiring and established writers to reimagine their craft not just as a creative passion, but as a legitimate cultural responsibility and scalable economic enterprise. “What this country needs is writers,” he emphasized during the event. “Not just occasional articles or hobbyist work — we need original, Barbadian-centered content built as a sustainable business. That requires the same entrepreneurial drive and strategic skill that any other industry demands.”

    The writing contest, organized to address this gap, offers a top prize of $20,000, with submissions open to interested creators through the end of July. This year’s competition centers on the legacy of iconic pan-Africanist leader Marcus Garvey, a trailblazer in Black self-determination who established his own newspapers in the 1920s despite never completing formal secondary or university education. Prescod pointed to Garvey’s legacy of self-publishing and independent media ownership as a critical historical example for contemporary Barbadian creators, arguing that modern writers must channel Garvey’s same initiative to package, publish, and distribute their work to global audiences.

    Prescod made clear that the demand for local content extends far beyond general literature: educational spaces across the nation’s primary and secondary schools currently rely heavily on imported texts, which leave many young learners disconnected from their own heritage. He shared startling observations from conversations with library officials, noting that too many Barbadian children cannot name the country’s national heroes, nor do they have familiar, accessible cultural references that reflect their own lived experiences. “Even some children do not even know who our national heroes are. They don’t have a mental construct of what they look like,” Prescod said. “Our primary and secondary education systems need books created for our students, by people who share our context.”

    He challenged local authors to develop and commercialize accessible educational and historical works rooted in Caribbean and Barbadian realities. Such content, he argued, would do more than fill a gap in curricula: it would foster strong cultural identity and inspire ambition among young readers, who would see themselves and their potential reflected in local stories. “I don’t see why some of us cannot prepare small books so that our children can see examples of our own talent, mirror the content they read every day, and be able to say, ‘I want to be like A, B, or C’ — a Caribbean, Barbadian figure,” he explained. “Society is starving for that kind of representation.”

    Prescod confirmed that the Barbadian government, through the Office of Pan-African Affairs and Heritage, is prepared to support writers and cultural creators as they work to turn their intellectual property into long-term, sustainable businesses, framing investment in local literature as an investment in the nation’s future.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Backs Effort to Secure Long-Term Funding for CDEMA

    Antigua and Barbuda Backs Effort to Secure Long-Term Funding for CDEMA

    The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda recently hosted a high-stakes briefing from the Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) during an official working visit focused on climate resilience and regional disaster preparedness. The executive leader’s trip to the twin-island nation included two core priorities: joining official ceremonies to open newly modernized hurricane shelters, and holding strategic discussions with top government officials about coordinated regional efforts to mitigate disaster risk.

    During her presentation to the Cabinet, the Executive Director opened with a stark assessment of the shifting risk landscape that defines the modern Caribbean. Climate-fueled extreme weather events, she noted, are growing more frequent, more intense, and more economically devastating with each passing year, placing unprecedented strain on local and regional response frameworks. Beyond coordinating urgent emergency relief operations when disasters strike, she emphasized that regional disaster management bodies now must also take the lead on long-term resilience-building and post-disaster recovery efforts across all participating Caribbean states.

    The briefing outlined CDEMA’s enduring, irreplaceable role in the region: the agency remains the central coordinating body for cross-border disaster response, and delivers critical support to member states through specialized technical guidance, hands-on training for emergency personnel, and on-the-ground operational assistance during crises. However, the presentation also laid bare the growing challenges the organization currently confronts: as global development priorities shift, traditional streams of international donor funding have become far less predictable, creating mounting financial and operational pressures that threaten CDEMA’s ability to deliver on its mandate.

    In response to these pressures, the Executive Director outlined the agency’s ongoing strategic overhaul to shore up its long-term capacity. These changes include internal institutional restructuring to boost efficiency, investments in cutting-edge technical expertise, and work to build new, more sustainable financing models that reduce reliance on volatile donor funding. A key takeaway from the presentation was the urgent call for all participating member states to ramp up their own investments in regional preparedness infrastructure, to guarantee that life-saving response resources are pre-positioned and ready to deploy the moment a disaster hits.

    Cabinet members used the briefing to reflect on Antigua and Barbuda’s decades-long partnership with CDEMA, noting that the country has reaped substantial benefits from the relationship. Official Cabinet records confirm that between 2019 and 2025 alone, the nation received more than $100 million in combined technical and financial support through the regional body, including emergency response assistance for past storm events, specialized training for local emergency teams, and expanded access to a growing network of regional and international disaster risk partners.

    The Executive Director also highlighted Antigua and Barbuda’s unique leadership role within the regional disaster management system: the country has served as a designated Sub-Regional Focal Point for the network for more than 30 years, a strategic position that allows it to coordinate response efforts for neighboring jurisdictions and share local expertise across the Caribbean. Cabinet members acknowledged that this leadership role not only strengthens Antigua and Barbuda’s own national preparedness, but also lifts collective resilience across all Caribbean small island developing states, boosting the regional collective security that all nations depend on.

    Following the conclusion of the presentation, the Antigua and Barbuda Cabinet issued a formal reaffirmation of its unwavering support for CDEMA’s work across the region. Cabinet members recognized that the organization plays an indispensable role in protecting lives, protecting private and public property, and safeguarding the Caribbean’s critical tourism-driven economic activity in an era of growing climate risk.

    Ministers also agreed that strengthening national and regional disaster preparedness and response systems will remain a top national policy priority for Antigua and Barbuda, particularly as the region confronts increasingly complex climate and environmental challenges that show no sign of abating. The Cabinet further expressed its full backing for CDEMA’s efforts to secure long-term financial and operational sustainability, and welcomed ongoing discussions about deepening regional cooperation, expanding capacity-building initiatives, and reforming financing arrangements that will boost overall disaster resilience across the entire Caribbean.

    In closing, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda reaffirmed its long-term commitment to working hand-in-hand with CDEMA and other regional partners to build safer, more climate-resilient communities across the nation, and to ensure that the country remains fully prepared to respond effectively to future emergencies and natural disasters.

  • Early intervention key to tackling gang crime, Lashley says

    Early intervention key to tackling gang crime, Lashley says

    Barbados is pushing forward with sweeping new anti-crime legislation aimed at curbing a recent surge in gang-related violence, youth offending, and firearm-related crime, with the country’s top legal affairs official emphasizing that early, broad-based social support must be at the heart of long-term crime prevention efforts.

    Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley presented the Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Bill to the Senate on Friday, marking a historic first under recently revised constitutional rules: Lashley, a member of the lower House of Parliament, became the first minister to appear before the upper legislative chamber to steer major legislation through the cross-chamber process. In his opening address, Lashley framed the bill as a long-overdue landmark that addresses a critical gap in the Caribbean nation’s criminal justice system.

    “There is nothing on our current statute books that specifically addresses gang activity,” Lashley told lawmakers. “No existing criminal legislation in Barbados directly targets criminal gang operations, which is why this bill is so necessary.” The proposed legislation, he explained, will equip law enforcement agencies and public prosecutors with a targeted new legal framework to tackle the growing wave of gang-linked violence, illegal weapons possession, and violent offending that has impacted communities across the country.

    Development of the bill was rooted in extensive public engagement, Lashley noted, with input gathered from a broad range of stakeholders including legal professionals, labor union leaders, and ordinary Barbadian citizens to ensure the legislation balances public safety needs with civil liberties.

    Even as he defended the urgent need for stronger enforcement tools, Lashley – a veteran criminal barrister with decades of experience in the justice system – stressed that new laws alone cannot reverse Barbados’ rising crime trends. Drawing on pre-sentencing reports prepared under the country’s existing Penal System Reform Act, he highlighted a consistent pattern of unaddressed behavioral and social issues that emerge long before young people enter the criminal justice system.

    “Time and again, these reports lay out a clear trail of warning signs dating back to adolescence: 13-year-olds getting into repeated trouble at school, 14-year-olds assaulting educators, 15-year-olds struggling with marijuana dependency, 16-year-olds expelled from the education system entirely,” Lashley said. “What these reports almost never show is any targeted social intervention to step in and help that young person turn their life around.” He added that most files also document deep-seated family instability and other overlapping social disadvantages, making the case for systemic early intervention to divert at-risk youth away from criminal activity before they offend.

    “We have to redesign our crime prevention strategy to center early social intervention as a core pillar,” Lashley argued. “That is the only way we can save young people from becoming entangled in the criminal justice system permanently.”

    Beyond early intervention and new anti-gang legislation, Lashley reiterated his longstanding support for reintroducing a dedicated drug court to Barbados’ justice system, noting that substance abuse is a leading contributing factor to a large share of the country’s offending. “I am a strong advocate for bringing back the drug court, because so many crimes are directly tied to drug dependency,” he said. “Specialized, treatment-focused programs like this deliver meaningful positive outcomes for both offenders and communities.”

    The minister also called for a more holistic approach to social intervention that extends beyond offenders to include crime victims and their families. Unaddressed trauma and unresolved anger from victimization, he warned, can create cycles of retaliation and push more people toward criminal activity. “Social intervention has to be all-encompassing – it must support not just people convicted of crimes, but the families and individuals impacted by harm,” he said.

    Lashley additionally pushed for improved monitoring of offenders who have been released on bail, noting that a small share of individuals reoffend while awaiting trial. He confirmed that the government is moving forward with plans to roll out upgraded monitoring systems in the near future to reduce recidivism risk and protect public safety.

    Friday’s first cross-chamber ministerial appearance follows constitutional amendments approved last December, which eliminated the longstanding rule that restricted ministers to participating in debates only in their home legislative chamber. The change is designed to streamline the legislative process and improve government accountability across both houses of parliament.

  • Commonwealth Observers Praise Election Administration While Urging Reforms

    Commonwealth Observers Praise Election Administration While Urging Reforms

    Following the April 30, 2026 general election in Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth Observer Group has released its final assessment, delivering a largely positive verdict on the vote while laying out a roadmap for targeted electoral reform. The international monitoring team has given high marks to the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) and on-the-ground election workers for organizing a vote that unfolded in a peaceful, orderly, and transparent manner.

    In its official findings, the observer group confirmed that election officials broadly adhered to established procedural rules, executing their duties with consistent professionalism across the voting process. Beyond the electoral commission, the report extended praise to a range of stakeholders: polling station staff, national security personnel, participating political parties, and the voting public all played key roles in facilitating a smooth electoral process. Special note was taken of two progressive measures implemented for this cycle: the deployment of dedicated information clerks to assist voters, and the public release of detailed voter data, including clear polling station location information and aggregated voter statistics.

    “Our overall assessment is that the electoral process was peaceful and transparent,” the report emphasized. It added that the broader political and social environment surrounding the vote largely upheld fundamental democratic freedoms, including the rights to association, peaceful assembly, free expression, and unimpeded movement across the country.

    Even as the group commended the successful execution of the election, it outlined persistent gaps that require targeted action to reinforce the integrity of Antigua and Barbuda’s electoral system. The list of core recommendations includes enshrining ABEC’s institutional independence in the national constitution, overhauling the country’s campaign finance rules, conducting a comprehensive review of parliamentary constituency boundaries, upgrading polling site accessibility for voters living with disabilities, and rolling out targeted measures to boost political participation among women and young people.

    Notably, concerns over transparency and accountability in campaign financing, an issue flagged by previous Commonwealth observer missions to the country, were repeated in the 2026 final report. The group called on national authorities to tighten regulatory frameworks and mandatory disclosure requirements, aligning national rules with widely accepted international best practices for campaign finance.

    Another key challenge highlighted by the observers is growing political polarization within Antigua and Barbuda’s media sector. To address this, the report recommended implementing targeted policy steps to promote fair coverage of political actors, protect editorial independence for media outlets, and establish stronger, more effective oversight mechanisms for the industry.

    In closing, the report acknowledged that Antigua and Barbuda’s existing legal and regulatory framework already provides a solid foundation for holding competitive democratic elections. However, it stressed that incremental, sustained reforms remain critical to boosting public trust in electoral processes and further entrenching the country’s democratic institutions for future cycles.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Considers Wage Deductions for Child Support Defaulters

    Antigua and Barbuda Considers Wage Deductions for Child Support Defaulters

    Efforts to crack down on persistent non-compliance with court-ordered child support obligations have pushed the government of Antigua and Barbuda to explore a sweeping set of reforms, including the option of automatic direct deductions of child maintenance from non-payers’ paychecks. The policy conversation unfolded during a recent Cabinet meeting focused on the upcoming launch of MainCollect, a cutting-edge digital payment platform designed to modernize how the nation tracks and collects child maintenance payments.

    Government representatives told Cabinet that chronic non-payment continues to stand as one of the most intractable challenges in the child support system, leaving thousands of children without the financial support they are legally guaranteed. To address this gap, senior officials have advanced a slate of stricter enforcement measures, with legislative changes to permit mandatory employer-led wage deductions at the top of the discussion list. This mechanism would only apply to parents who have repeatedly ignored court orders to meet their maintenance obligations.

    Beyond automatic wage deductions, Cabinet also weighed additional intervention strategies: harsher legal penalties for persistent defaulters, and the creation of a centralized public register that would name parents who fall behind on their required payments. Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications, clarified that any policy requiring formal employer involvement in the deduction process would need new legislative approval, and that negotiations on the framework are still ongoing between government leadership and the Antigua and Barbuda Family Court.

    Officials also highlighted a key persistent hurdle that even new policies may struggle to address: a large share of delinquent child support comes from parents who receive all their income in cash, making it far harder for regulators to track earnings and guarantee consistent monthly payments. The policy discussions are happening alongside preparations for the rollout of the MainCollect digital platform, which will enable fully electronic maintenance payments while giving both the Family Court and custodial parents real-time access to payment records, transaction history, and up-to-date information on outstanding balances.

    As of the latest Cabinet briefing, no final decisions have been reached on any of the proposed enforcement measures. Government leaders confirmed that deliberations will continue as they work to build a more effective, accountable system that guarantees children across the country receive the financial support they are entitled to.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Continues Fuel Subsidies Despite Sharp Rise in APUA Fuel Costs

    Antigua and Barbuda Continues Fuel Subsidies Despite Sharp Rise in APUA Fuel Costs

    In the wake of a dramatic near-doubling of fuel procurement costs for the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), the Antigua and Barbuda government has formally committed to sustaining its existing fuel subsidy program, a decision confirmed during Friday’s post-Cabinet press briefing.

    Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications, outlined the stark scale of the price increase to journalists: earlier this year in January, APUA paid roughly $460,000 per day to purchase fuel from the West Indies Oil Company. That daily expense has now jumped to approximately $886,000, a surge of more than 90% that has put unprecedented financial pressure on both the national utility and public coffers.

    Following a full review of the issue at Thursday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, where officials assessed the broader ripple effects of volatile global economic conditions on Antigua and Barbuda, the administration reaffirmed its core policy goal: protecting domestic consumers from the full brunt of skyrocketing international fuel prices. Merchant emphasized that ongoing geopolitical and market shifts across the globe have pushed energy costs to multi-year highs, creating cascading financial strain for utility providers and national governments across every region.

    Rather than passing the entirety of this cost increase on to households and businesses through higher utility bills, the Antigua and Barbuda government has chosen to absorb the majority of the expanded fuel expense via its subsidy program. While the administration has not yet specified an end date for the policy, it made clear that its efforts to insulate consumers from growing energy costs will remain in place for the foreseeable future as global market conditions continue to evolve.

  • $30K up for grabs as Marcus Garvey entrepreneurship competition opens

    $30K up for grabs as Marcus Garvey entrepreneurship competition opens

    Barbados’ creative and entrepreneurial communities have been called to step forward as the fourth annual Marcus Garvey Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition officially opened its application window on Friday, offering a total of $30 000 in cash prizes to emerging innovators looking to turn cultural talent into scalable commercial ventures. Jointly organized by the island’s Division of Culture and the Office of Pan-African Affairs and Heritage, the competition aims to boost business development across Barbados’ cultural industries while growing its participant base for the fourth consecutive year. Applications from eligible creators will remain open until midnight on July 31.

    Organizers have set an ambitious target to double entry numbers this year, building on the rapid growth the competition has seen since its launch. Entries jumped from just 15 in 2023 to more than 60 in 2024, a trajectory event leaders hope to continue as they raise awareness of the opportunity across the island’s creative community. The core mission of the event remains bridging the long-standing gap between raw creative talent and sustainable, revenue-generating commercial enterprise, a gap that has limited growth for many cultural workers across the Caribbean.

    Program advisor Rodney Grant from the Division of Culture framed the current moment of global economic uncertainty as a unique catalyst for innovation, drawing on decades of observation of creative activity across the Caribbean region. “When societies face particular challenges is when you see innovation at its best,” Grant explained. “I spent a lot of time in Trinidad in the 1980s, and I saw firsthand that when Trinidad and other Caribbean societies went through their most difficult economic periods, that was exactly when we saw the most creativity from ordinary people. This contemporary global economic climate creates the right opportunity for innovation and creativity to flourish.”

    Grant made a specific appeal to young Barbadians to take ownership of the future of the island’s cultural sector, noting that young creators are already leading shifting trends in global cultural industries. “We’re specifically encouraging young people to take part. This is your time. This is the moment for the cultural and creative sectors to thrive, and young people are the ones who have their fingers on the pulse of what audiences want right now,” he said.

    The competition’s prize structure rewards top performers with substantial seed funding to grow their ideas: first place takes home $20 000, second place receives $7 000, and third place is awarded $3 000, making the total available cash pool $30 000. In a change to the 2025 format, the event will move away from its previous public final round. Instead, applicants will go through a private preliminary elimination round, after which five shortlisted finalists will deliver closed pitch sessions to a panel of industry specialists.

    A key theme emphasized at the competition’s launch was the need for Barbadian creative founders to scale their concepts beyond the island’s small domestic market to reach global audiences. Minister of Pan-African Affairs and Heritage Trevor Prescod highlighted the untapped global demand for Barbadian cultural products, ranging from fine art to traditional culinary goods. He pointed to the example of a Barbadian expatriate who was able to pay for property in New York entirely through revenue from sales of her traditional Barbadian sweet bread, proving the global market potential of even the most traditional cultural offerings.

    To ease anxiety among prospective applicants who may worry their business ideas are not fully developed, Grant sought to reassure potential participants that incomplete business plans are no barrier to entering. “We don’t expect that you’re gonna have every T crossed, every I dotted,” he said. “If you wait for perfection, we will never start or we will never do anything. Nothing in this world requires perfection, but it requires you to start and to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Our panel meets every entrant where they are, and we will work to understand what you are trying to pitch and accomplish.”

    Prescod positioned the competition within the wider framework of Barbados’ annual Season of Emancipation, challenging long-held harmful stereotypes about entrepreneurship in Caribbean society. “We have internalized the myth that an entrepreneur is someone born with special, almost divine endowments, that only a tiny handful of us have what it takes to build a business,” Prescod said. “If you look back at our history before slavery, you would know that is not true. We successfully built many empires, many businesses, and there is endless creativity within our people.”

    Drawing on the legacy of the competition’s namesake, Marcus Garvey, Prescod recalled that the iconic Jamaican Pan-African leader built international shipping lines, printing houses, and global publications in the 1920s without any formal advanced academic training. “He didn’t say you had to be an economist, he didn’t say you had to study law,” Prescod noted. “What Garvey taught us is that the most important things are discipline and a commitment to seeking knowledge. A person with those qualities can achieve anything they set out to do by exploring the world of knowledge.”

    The minister also tied the competition to a broader national goal of economic transformation and Black economic enfranchisement, arguing that widespread business ownership is a core tool for addressing systemic inequality. “I don’t want to hide the core of what this is about: Black economic empowerment,” he said. “We live in a country where over 96 percent of the population is of African descent, and yet we are still struggling just to gain control of our own Black businesses — and worst of all, we only have small Black businesses. I want to see all of our creators excel to the greatest heights, competing on the global stage.”

    To support potential applicants in understanding what kinds of projects qualify, the Division of Culture is publishing a detailed outline of the cultural and creative sectors, encouraging entrants to think beyond traditional definitions of creative work and submit a wide range of concepts. Applications can be submitted either individually or as a team via the official Google Sheet link posted to the social media channels of the Division of Culture and the Barbados Government Information Service. Applicants facing digital access barriers can request alternative submission arrangements by emailing culture.coe@barbados.gov.bb before the July 31 deadline.

  • Parliament to Debate New Powers Over Derelict Buildings

    Parliament to Debate New Powers Over Derelict Buildings

    A critical piece of legislation that would grant the Antigua and Barbuda government expanded authority to tackle derelict and dangerous buildings across the twin islands is scheduled for parliamentary consideration when lawmakers convene on June 16. Details of the planned regulatory changes were first brought to public attention during a post-Cabinet press briefing held this Friday, where Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant outlined the administration’s broader objectives behind the proposed bill.

    Merchant explained that the government has already been carrying out targeted removal operations for abandoned residential and commercial properties that have created tangible safety and security threats for local communities across the country. “The government has been clearing certain areas from derelict homes and houses,” he told reporters during the briefing.

    The upcoming legislative debate will formalize new rules designed to strengthen the executive branch’s ability to intervene on properties that have been deemed harmful to surrounding neighborhoods. Merchant emphasized that the proposed adjustments to existing law are crafted to streamline and speed up the process of demolishing and removing structures that have been classified as safety hazards or public security risks.

    While the harmful property bill is the key focus of the government’s current efforts to address community safety, it will only be one item on a packed legislative agenda when Parliament convenes next month. Multiple other policy measures are also lined up for debate and discussion during the same sitting. As of the Friday briefing, full granular details of the proposed legal changes have not yet been made available to the public or media outlets.