Carib Scope

分类： business

  • FTC to launch online complaint tracking system

    FTC to launch online complaint tracking system

    Barbados’ Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is advancing its consumer protection services with a major digital transformation and a push for expanded regulatory authority, as the agency marked its 25th year of operation during a public open day at its Green Hill headquarters on Friday. In an address to attendees, FTC Chief Executive Brian Reece outlined the agency’s key upcoming changes, centered on a new cloud-based digital case management system designed to cut red tape and improve accountability for consumer complaint handling.

    Reece confirmed that the new case management platform, set to launch in the coming months, will be integrated into a fully updated FTC website, giving consumers 24/7 access to file complaints, communicate directly with FTC consumer advocates and staff, and track the progress of their claims in real time. Unlike the agency’s current paper-reliant processes, the system will create full transparency around complaint timelines, letting consumers know exactly how far along their case is and what steps remain to resolution. This level of visibility, Reece noted, will also hold the FTC itself accountable for delivering timely, effective results for the public.

    The website overhaul is already underway to accommodate the new digital services, with the full launch of both the upgraded site and case management system expected within months. Beyond digital improvements, Reece also revealed that the FTC is actively pursuing legislative changes to expand its regulatory mandate. Currently, the agency only oversees fixed-line telecommunications services, but the FTC is pushing to add mobile service quality and broadband performance to its area of oversight, a move that would reflect the changing digital needs of Barbadian consumers.

    Addressing public awareness of the FTC’s work, Reece said that overall Barbadians have a solid understanding of the agency’s core mission, but emphasized that ongoing public education remains a top priority. Events like the 25th anniversary open day, he explained, are designed not just to share information about existing services, but also to gather feedback from consumers on how the FTC can adapt its work to meet emerging needs.

    The open day event featured partner displays and presentations from a range of relevant Barbadian agencies, including Barbados Light & Power, the Barbados Water Authority, Flow (Cable & Wireless), the Financial Literacy Bureau, Mission Barbados, and the Barbados National Standards Institute, among others. Reece noted that the collaborative event was structured to let the public engage directly with both FTC leadership and the utility and business agencies that are the source of many consumer complaints. The FTC handles a wide range of claims, from utility service issues to disputes over business practices such as warranty terms and consumer business contracts, and Reece reiterated that the agency’s core approach balances the interests of both consumers and ethical business operators.

    As the FTC enters its 26th year of operation, the planned digital upgrades and regulatory expansion mark one of the most significant overhauls to the agency’s services since its founding, positioning it to better serve a modernizing Barbadian economy.

  • WeBiz Bajan launches to bring biz services into communities

    WeBiz Bajan launches to bring biz services into communities

    Barbados has unveiled a groundbreaking national small business support initiative, WeBiz Bajan, designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape and deliver end-to-end assistance directly to local micro-entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners across the island. Developed through a cross-organizational partnership between Barbados Trust Fund Limited and the Office of the Supervisor of Insolvency, the new program reimagines how government and public bodies support grassroots economic growth by unifying fragmented services into a single, accessible offering.

    For decades, small business owners in Barbados have faced the frustrating challenge of navigating multiple separate government agencies to access basic resources: one entity for financing, another for business registration, a third for skills training, and yet more for operational guidance. Kevin Hunte, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Business Development and Consumer Affairs, emphasized that WeBiz Bajan upends this outdated model entirely. “Instead of requiring entrepreneurs to go from door to door chasing support, we bring government services directly to you,” Hunte explained at the program’s launch. “Every resource you need to launch or grow a business—from information and financing to employment support and sustainability tools—is available in one centralized location.”

    Hunte highlighted that micro-entrepreneurs, street vendors, and local innovators form the backbone of Barbados’ domestic economy, working long hours to create local jobs and keep community capital circulating. This initiative, he said, is a formal acknowledgement of their critical importance, signaling that the government recognizes and values their contributions to national prosperity.

    The collaboration between Barbados Trust Fund Limited and the Office of the Supervisor of Insolvency raised eyebrows at first, as the two organizations typically work at opposite ends of the business lifecycle. But Barbados Trust Fund CEO Gerald Amos noted that the partnership makes intuitive sense once the shared mission is clear. The Trust Fund helps emerging entrepreneurs build opportunities before challenges arise, while the insolvency supervisor supports business owners navigating financial hardship to get back on stable footing. “On paper, it might look like an unusual pairing, but at its core, this is just two groups of people working together to help other people build better lives,” Amos explained. His experience working on the initiative has shifted his perspective on public sector collaboration: after years believing that support for local entrepreneurs was insufficient, he said he has now found a network of dedicated public servants united around a common goal of becoming the “single front door” for small business support.

    Three islandwide community expos are scheduled through late 2024 to bring WeBiz Bajan services directly to local populations, with a special focus on accessible energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for small businesses. Representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Barbados National Energy Company Limited will attend each event to demonstrate practical solar power and energy-saving systems, which Hunte noted can cut operating costs for small businesses, freeing up capital to reinvest in inventory, staff, and growth.

    The first expo will open on August 29 at Trents in St James, followed by events at Glebe in St George on September 19 and Rices in St Philip on October 24. Each expo will include family-friendly activities for children, local culinary demonstrations, and showcases of authentic Barbadian products alongside business support services.

    A centerpiece of the initiative is the C-suite Challenge, a pitch competition hosted at each expo that gives aspiring local entrepreneurs the chance to turn their business ideas into actionable ventures. Winning pitches receive a comprehensive business development package valued at over $32,000, including $22,000 in cash grants, access to a $10,000 low-interest loan from the Barbados Trust Fund, one year of personalized mentorship, business incubation support, branding and marketing assistance, and exhibition space at future national trade events.

    Neisha Holder, a member of the WeBiz Bajan event planning team, noted that the program is built on the belief that Barbados’ next iconic local brand is already being developed in community homes, garages, and home kitchens across the island. “The C-suite Challenge gives emerging creators the platform, funding, and tools they need to share their ideas with the world and build successful, sustainable businesses,” Holder said. Organizers are currently inviting additional private sector companies to join the initiative as preparations for the first St James expo progress.

  • Midden-Oostenconflict kan Caribische economieën treffen; Suriname mogelijk in uitzonderingspositie

    Midden-Oostenconflict kan Caribische economieën treffen; Suriname mogelijk in uitzonderingspositie

    Growing geopolitical friction in the Middle East is emerging as a dual threat: not only does it risk further destabilizing already jittered global energy markets, but it also carries far-reaching economic repercussions for small island nations across the Caribbean, leading regional economists have warned.

    New concerns have been triggered by a fresh uptick in international crude oil prices and growing instability around transit through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. Roughly 20% of the global oil supply passes through this narrow strategic waterway on a yearly basis. In a dedicated analysis of the Middle East conflict’s spillover effects on global energy markets and the world economy, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has emphasized that prolonged disruption to shipping through the strait poses a major risk to global energy security. The agency’s report details how even limited disruptions in this corridor can ripple out to push energy prices higher, stoke renewed inflationary pressures, and erode energy affordability for households and businesses across every region of the world.

    For most Caribbean countries, a sustained jump in oil prices would trigger immediate, direct economic harm. The vast majority of regional economies are heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels to power electricity generation, public and private transport, and industrial production. As a result, higher energy costs pass through almost instantly to rising household living expenses, pushing up food prices and transport fares for everyday consumers.

    Beyond broader cost-of-living pressures, the region’s core economic engine — tourism — also faces significant downside risk. More expensive fuel increases operating costs for international airlines and cruise lines, which typically pass these extra expenses on to consumers in the form of higher ticket prices. That makes travel to Caribbean destinations less affordable for international visitors, which can ultimately dampen tourist arrivals and cut into the billions of dollars in annual revenue the sector generates for local economies.

    The outlook is more nuanced for two regional outliers: Suriname and Guyana. While Suriname will still face higher prices for imported goods and transport services if tensions worsen, it ranks alongside Guyana as one of the Caribbean’s emerging oil producing nations. A prolonged period of elevated global oil prices could, over the longer term, boost expected revenue from Suriname’s developing offshore oil production projects. Guyana, which has rapidly grown to become a major net oil exporter over the past several years, is already reaping the benefits of current high crude prices.

    Earlier reporting from Reuters confirms that recent Middle East tensions stand to further increase Guyana’s oil export revenue, even as the surge in production creates new challenges for sustainable economic development and management of its fast-expanding petroleum sector. For Suriname, where first commercial offshore oil production is still being prepared for launch over the coming years, the current global situation underscores how critical it is for policymakers to plan for prudent management of future oil revenues. At the same time, until domestic production scales up, Suriname remains highly vulnerable to rising import costs and fuel price spikes.

    Economists stress that while higher global oil prices will eventually deliver extra revenue for producing nations in the region, these benefits will only materialize once full-scale production is operational. In the interim, if the Middle East conflict continues to escalate, Suriname’s households and businesses will overwhelmingly feel the negative impacts of higher transport and import costs. The unfolding crisis makes clear just how interconnected global markets are: events thousands of kilometers away can quickly translate into tangible economic shifts across the Caribbean’s small, open economies.

  • Saint Kitts and Nevis enlists regional expert to build medicinal cannabis banking framework

    Saint Kitts and Nevis enlists regional expert to build medicinal cannabis banking framework

    BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts – As the eastern Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis moves to advance its nascent medicinal cannabis sector, the federation has turned to an experienced regional leader to address one of the industry’s most persistent hurdles: access to formal banking services.

    The Saint Kitts and Nevis Medicinal Cannabis Authority announced July 17 that it has tapped Saboto Caesar, the former agriculture minister of neighboring St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to guide the development of a customized, robust banking framework for the local medicinal cannabis market. Caesar is scheduled to arrive in the twin-island federation on July 19 for a five-day consulting engagement, authority CEO Nadiv Mills confirmed in a media briefing July 15.

    Caesar’s track record in regional cannabis policy makes him uniquely suited to support the project, Mills noted. He is widely recognized as the driving force behind the successful development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ cannabis wellness sector, including the design and rollout of that nation’s own functional medicinal cannabis banking system. That experience has already positioned St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a regional pioneer: in 2025, the country became the first member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to secure an export license from Germany, making it the first OECS nation to ship legal medicinal cannabis to international markets.

    During his upcoming visit, Caesar will hold a series of working meetings with leaders from Saint Kitts and Nevis’ commercial banks and other financial institutions. The goal of these discussions is to identify the specific regulatory, risk management and operational challenges local lenders face when serving the licensed medicinal cannabis sector. He will also share the policy frameworks and operational best practices that allowed St. Vincent and the Grenadines to overcome similar barriers to build a stable, compliant industry.

    As part of the engagement, Saint Kitts and Nevis will also introduce its new end-to-end supply chain monitoring tool to participating financial institutions. The seed-to-sale track-and-trace technology logs every transaction along the production and distribution chain, boosting transparency across the supply chain, simplifying regulatory compliance for licensed operators, and strengthening overall operational accountability for the sector. This system is expected to give financial institutions greater confidence in serving the industry by reducing compliance and reputational risk.

    The engagement comes as more Caribbean nations move to formalize and expand their legal medicinal cannabis sectors, leveraging regional knowledge sharing to speed up regulatory development and reduce growing pains for new market entrants.

  • Did BEL Pay the Price for Protecting Consumers?

    Did BEL Pay the Price for Protecting Consumers?

    Date: July 17, 2026

    Belize’s primary energy provider, Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), is confronting significant financial strain after a deliberate decision to protect households from soaring electricity prices in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has reported a net loss exceeding $23 million for the 2025 fiscal year, a shortfall that leadership traces directly to the cumulative impact of ongoing global energy market disruptions.

    In comments on the company’s crisis, BEL Executive Chairman Lynn Young explained that the utility made a coordinated choice with Belize’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and national government to pause rate adjustment requests during the post-pandemic economic recovery. At the time, leadership expected international energy prices, spurred by inflation tied to the Ukraine conflict, to fall back to pre-crisis levels once geopolitical tensions stabilized, allowing the company to recoup uncollected costs later.

    That prediction never came to fruition. A cascade of successive global shocks – including political instability in Venezuela, regional security incidents, and the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East – kept fuel and energy prices far higher than BEL projected. By the time the company was forced to request a rate adjustment to recover expenses, Young confirmed, accumulated unrecovered costs had ballooned to between $60 million and $65 million, per initial PUC calculations. Ongoing operational challenges connected to Mexico’s state-owned power utility CFE have further squeezed BEL’s bottom line, adding to the company’s financial pressure.

    Beyond its massive operational losses, BEL is also facing parallel legal pressure from unresolved severance claims brought by former employees, which create additional financial uncertainty for the already strained utility. The dispute is currently working its way through Belize’s judicial system, and government officials have emphasized that the courts will ultimately resolve the legitimacy of the workers’ claims.

    Despite the mounting challenges, Belize’s Minister of Public Utilities, Logistics & Energy Michel Chebat has reaffirmed the government’s confidence in BEL, framing the utility as a foundational institution critical to the country’s long-term development. Chebat noted that while the company is navigating unprecedented headwinds today, investments in BEL remain strategically important for Belize, and he projected that the utility will return to strong performance in coming years, delivering returns that offset current losses. He added that regardless of the court’s ruling on the severance claims, the government will respect any judicial determination and uphold the legal rights of all parties involved.

  • Finance minister to small biz: embrace compliance, digitisation

    Finance minister to small biz: embrace compliance, digitisation

    Barbados is rolling out a coordinated, three-pillar national strategy centered on strengthened regulatory compliance, streamlined digitized government services, and expanded access to affordable credit to empower local small and micro-businesses to scale and compete on the global stage, Finance Minister Ryan Straughn announced Friday during the launch of the WeBizBajan community financial literacy initiative. In his keynote address to stakeholders, Straughn emphasized that meaningful, sustainable economic expansion for the island nation will require intentional collaboration between government regulators, the private sector, and grassroots entrepreneurs to build a supportive, globally competitive business ecosystem.

    Against a backdrop of rapid digital transformation that has redefined global commerce, Straughn argued that the traditional classification of “micro-business” no longer limits small operations to local markets. Today, even the smallest Barbadian ventures can carve out a space in global supply chains and build international brands, provided they have the right foundational support, he explained. “Micro is just a definition in terms of utilising the global supply chain to its fullest extent,” Straughn said. “So therefore, if we get the IP (Intellectual Property) right, you get the financing right, a so-called micro-business can leverage the entire global supply chain and become a large company because we’re using technology to help not just grow your business environment but build your business and your brand globally.”

    A core focus of the government’s agenda is shifting cultural attitudes toward regulatory compliance, a requirement many small business owners currently dismiss as an unnecessary, burdensome administrative hurdle. Straughn pushed back against this narrative, explaining that strict, transparent regulatory frameworks are non-negotiable for accessing international markets, and that the rules enforced by agencies including the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA), the National Insurance and Social Security Service (NISSS), and the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) are designed to support long-term business growth, not hinder it.

    Over the past eight years, the government has invested extensive effort into addressing international regulatory concerns and removing Barbados from global watchlists, a process that depends on widespread compliance across all domestic businesses, Straughn noted. He shared that some Barbadian firms have already been blocked from pursuing international acquisitions due to external doubts about the strength of the island’s regulatory ecosystem, and warned that low compliance poses existential risks to the country’s critical correspondent banking relationships.

    “We’re not humbugging anybody just because we want to humbug you. We want businesses to grow in an ecosystem that is supported,” Straughn said. “Barbados is too small an economy to absorb the negative risk perceptions associated with financial opacity. The reason that we have to be open and transparent is because you’re too small. Too small for any risk perception associated with correspondent banking.”

    To offset the burden of stricter compliance requirements, the government is advancing sweeping administrative reforms and digitization efforts to cut red tape and speed up public service delivery. Straughn reported that over the past eight years, the administration has resolved 99.9 percent of long-standing outstanding payments owed to private vendors, shortening average government payment timelines to fewer than 30 days to protect small business cash flow. The next phase of reform will center on building a unified digital government portal that eliminates redundant information requests from different agencies, creating a single point of entry for all business-related government interactions.

    “Our mechanism for digitisation has to be further enhanced as government,” Straughn said. “Our systems have to talk with one another so that there’s a single entry point to government rather than having different government organisations going at you for the same information. We’re working on solving that because that is critical to your time as businesses.”

    Straughn also highlighted long-standing structural weaknesses in Barbados’ domestic private sector, particularly among the country’s large cohort of family-owned businesses. He noted that gaps in education around corporate governance, professional management, and intergenerational succession planning have led to many successful, long-standing businesses collapsing prematurely instead of being passed down to new generations of owners.

    To address these challenges, the government is drafting a new, consolidated bankruptcy and insolvency framework under the leadership of the Office of Insolvency and its supervisor Ester Springer. The new framework will encourage entrepreneurs to approach market exit as a deliberate, strategic decision rather than an unplanned, chaotic failure, while ensuring that failing businesses do not leave unpaid liabilities for taxpayers and the national social security system.

    “Businesses must from inception be thinking about what is the exit strategy,” Straughn asserted. “And let me say this: the exit strategy cannot be leaving the taxpayers or the national insurance holding the bag. If that is your exit strategy as a business, then obviously that is not the kind of business that we want to support in Barbados.”

    Looking ahead, Straughn outlined two key emerging growth areas for the Barbadian economy: the development of an international food hub to help local culinary entrepreneurs scale production for global trade fairs and export markets, and the rollout of a comprehensive national credit reporting system to remove barriers to bank financing for small businesses.

    The WeBizBajan financial literacy campaign, which will educate community-level entrepreneurs on credit management, financial transparency, and business networking, will play a critical role in helping Barbados hit its target annual economic growth rate of 4 to 5 percent, Straughn added. Reiterating the core of the government’s agenda, he emphasized that small businesses with reliable access to credit will be the primary engine of future economic growth for the island, and that long-term success depends on embedding both compliance and global competitiveness into the foundation of the local business ecosystem.

    “Small businesses having access to credit will be the engine of growth in this economy,” Straughn said. “why not just compliance, but the ability to compete is integral to the success.”

  • Antigua and Barbuda Government Responds to JetBlue’s Planned End of Nonstop JFK Service

    Antigua and Barbuda Government Responds to JetBlue’s Planned End of Nonstop JFK Service

    In a shift that has sent ripples through the Caribbean travel industry, JetBlue’s online reservation system has stopped taking bookings for nonstop flights connecting New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Antigua and Barbuda’s V.C. Bird International Airport for dates beyond October 31, 2026. The planned route cut is part of a series of broader network adjustments the low-cost carrier has rolled out across the Caribbean in recent months, as it works to optimize its route map and improve overall aircraft utilization to align with shifting global travel market dynamics.

    Other similar changes made by JetBlue include reduced service frequencies on existing routes from JFK to key Caribbean leisure destinations: Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, Montego Bay in Jamaica, and both Puerto Plata and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The pattern of cuts signals that major U.S. carriers are re-evaluating their route portfolios to prioritize high-demand routes that deliver stronger operational and financial returns, a trend impacting multiple island nations across the region.

    Charles Fernandez, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation, and Investment, acknowledged the disappointment of the development while framing it as part of a broader industry-wide shift rather than an isolated challenge for the country. “While this development is disappointing, it is important to recognize that it is not unique to Antigua and Barbuda,” Fernandez said. “Airlines worldwide are continually reviewing their networks and optimizing aircraft deployment in response to changing market conditions.”

    Leaders from the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) have moved quickly to outline a proactive strategy to mitigate any impact on the country’s $1.4 billion tourism sector, which forms the backbone of the island nation’s economy. Dean Fenton, ABTA’s Director of Tourism for the U.S. market, emphasized that the authority will deepen its collaboration with JetBlue to maintain strong access for North American travelers even after the nonstop route is discontinued. “The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority will keep working with JetBlue to maximize connectivity through the airline’s hub network and help ensure our destination stays easily accessible to travellers,” Fenton explained. “At the same time, we will keep collaborating with all of our airline partners to strengthen Antigua and Barbuda’s airlift and protect our competitive edge in the North American market.”

    ABTA has reiterated its long-term commitment to expanding and preserving reliable air connectivity for visitors, a core infrastructure pillar that drives tourist arrivals and supports local hospitality businesses. The authority says it will continue proactive engagement with all existing and potential airline partners to support the steady growth of the destination’s tourism industry.

    Located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea, Antigua and Barbuda is a top leisure travel destination for North American tourists, drawing more than 300,000 U.S. and Canadian visitors annually. The nation is home to iconic attractions including Nelson’s Dockyard, the only surviving example of a Georgian naval fortification and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It hosts a packed annual calendar of world-renowned events, including the prestigious Antigua Sailing Week, Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, the annual Antigua Carnival widely known as the Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Festival, wellness month, restaurant week, art week, and the popular Run in Paradise road race. Barbuda, the smaller sister island of Antigua located just 27 miles northeast of the main island and a 15-minute commuter flight away, is famous for its secluded 11-mile stretch of soft pink sand beaches and hosts the Western Hemisphere’s largest frigate bird sanctuary, making it a popular quiet getaway for luxury travelers.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Supports Cardiac Care Through Polo for Heart Partnership

    Antigua and Barbuda Supports Cardiac Care Through Polo for Heart Partnership

    After a year of collaboration, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority is celebrating a successful debut partnership with Polo For Heart, Canada’s one of the longest-running charity sporting events that combines elite equestrian competition with life-changing philanthropic work. This collaboration marks the first milestone in a multi-year commitment that lets the Caribbean destination showcase its unique culture, hospitality and brand of relaxed luxury to Canadian audiences while supporting critical regional cardiac care initiatives.

    Now entering its 46th year of operation, 2026’s Polo For Heart gathering brought hundreds of guests to the Toronto Polo Club for three days of polo matches, community celebration, and fundraising on behalf of Southlake Health. This year’s event raised critical funds through a mix of general ticket sales, direct public donations, and a popular silent auction, with every dollar of proceeds directed to expanding and enhancing access to life-saving cardiac care services for patients and their families across the Greater Toronto Area.

    As the new official destination partner for the event, Antigua and Barbuda wove the iconic warmth and vibrancy of the islands into every layer of the weekend’s programming. From the opening reception to daily interactive activations, the destination built an immersive experience that let attendees connect with Caribbean culture beyond postcard-perfect beach imagery, including a dedicated showcase of work by local Antiguan and Barbudan artists.

    “Polo For Heart’s core mission aligns perfectly with the values that define Antigua and Barbuda: community connection, radical generosity, cultural celebration, and bringing people together,” explained Tameka Wharton, Director of Tourism for Canada at the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. “This cause is rooted in real, tangible good for local communities, and we were proud to both support life-saving cardiac care and introduce our island home’s unmatched warmth and energy to Canadian guests.”

    To kick off the weekend, the tourism authority co-hosted a specially themed opening night called *Polo in Paradise*, which transformed the Toronto polo grounds into a slice of the Caribbean. Attendees enjoyed handcrafted tropical cocktails, authentic island cuisine, live performances from traditional steelpan musicians, and a post-polo celebration featuring DJ sets and open dancing that carried late into the evening.

    Gail Christian, Antigua and Barbuda’s Consul General who attended the opening night festivities, praised the tourism authority’s work to bring the destination’s identity to life. “What we saw at *Polo in Paradise* was the very best of Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism offering made tangible for guests right here in Canada,” Christian said. “The team created an authentic sense of the warmth, hospitality, and understated luxury that define our islands. Bringing that immersive experience to a beloved Canadian sporting event makes clear how eager we are to share our paradise with Canada and the entire world.”

    Throughout the rest of the weekend, Antigua and Barbuda hosted a custom destination-inspired pop-up space that offered guests Caribbean music, on-site massages, and small wellness touches designed to evoke the laid-back tranquility of a Caribbean vacation. The destination also donated a premium four-night stay at Curtain Bluff, the iconic boutique luxury resort on Antigua’s southern coast, to the event’s silent auction to boost fundraising totals. On the event’s closing Family Day, the team added kid-friendly interactive activities, including a large collaborative coloring mural that let young guests engage with Antigua and Barbuda’s culture in a playful, creative way.

    One of the most widely praised additions to the weekend’s programming was the curated art showcase highlighting work from emerging and established Antiguan and Barbudan artists. The exhibit offered attendees a deeper look at the destination’s thriving creative community, with works that center the stories of local people, the dramatic landscapes of the islands, and the cultural traditions that shape Antigua and Barbuda’s national identity far beyond its world-famous beaches.

    Karen White, Executive Director of Polo For Heart, noted that the partnership added an entirely new, vibrant layer to the annual event. “Antigua and Barbuda was such a natural fit for Polo For Heart from our very first conversation,” White said. “They bring that signature warmth, color, and joyful celebration that perfectly matches the spirit of our event. This first year of collaboration gave our guests an incredible new experience, from the opening night celebration to the music, art, wellness, and family activities, and we’re incredibly excited to build on this partnership in the coming years.”

    The collaboration with Polo For Heart is part of a broader strategic shift for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, which is increasingly focusing on expanding its reach to new travel audiences through values-aligned, meaningful partnerships. At the same time, the work reinforces the destination’s positioning as more than a beach getaway: it’s a place with a rich, dynamic culture, world-class hospitality, innovative cuisine, growing wellness offerings, a thriving arts scene, and one-of-a-kind experiences for every type of traveler.

    For the destination, the event delivered far more than brand exposure: it created a meaningful opportunity to contribute to a critical public health cause, build direct connections with prospective Canadian travelers, and share the authentic spirit of Antigua and Barbuda in a community-focused, philanthropic setting.

  • We are hiring! Grenada Duty Free, Store Manager—GRENADA

    We are hiring! Grenada Duty Free, Store Manager—GRENADA

    A new full-time store manager opening for a duty-free retail location in Grenada has been announced, calling for qualified candidates with a mix of leadership experience, commercial acumen, and local regulatory knowledge to lead the operation.

    The recruiting party has outlined a comprehensive set of core competencies required for the role. Top of the requirements list is exceptional interpersonal and communication aptitude, with candidates expected to approach teams and customers in an accessible manner while demonstrating polished verbal and written communication skills. Strong, decisive leadership is also a non-negotiable foundation for overseeing daily store operations.

    On the commercial and operational side, successful candidates must show a proven track record of managing departmental budgets, dissecting key sales performance metrics, and building data-driven business strategies that drive revenue growth. They are also expected to hold a working knowledge of core inventory management practices and standard merchandising principles that keep retail operations running smoothly and product displays engaging for customers.

    Proficiency in digital tools is also required: candidates must be fully comfortable working with the entire Microsoft Office Suite, with at minimum intermediate-level skills in Excel for data tracking and analysis. A critical requirement for the role is a solid, up-to-date understanding of Grenada’s national Labour Code and associated employment regulations, to ensure all store operations remain fully compliant with local laws.

    Given the fast-paced nature of the retail industry, the ideal candidate must be able to thrive under dynamic, high-pressure workflow conditions and maintain a flexible working schedule that aligns with the organization’s operational needs.

    While 3 years of verifiable experience working as a store manager or in a similar retail leadership role is not a strict mandatory requirement, it is considered a significant competitive advantage for applicants.

    Candidates interested in applying are instructed to submit their updated curriculum vitae to [email protected], with the subject line formatted as “Store Manager—GRENADA”. The closing deadline for all applications is 1 August 2026, giving prospective candidates ample time to prepare and submit their materials.

    A disclaimer accompanying the vacancy notice notes that NOW Grenada holds no responsibility for opinions, statements, or any third-party media content shared by contributors to the platform. Individuals who encounter content that violates platform policies may file an abuse report directly through the outlet’s official reporting channel.

  • CEGEB RfQ: Procurement of office furniture and fittings

    CEGEB RfQ: Procurement of office furniture and fittings

    The Caribbean island nation of Grenada has launched a new competitive bidding process for office furniture and fittings, backed by World Bank financing for the region’s ambitious Caribbean Efficient and Green-Energy Buildings Project (CEGEB). Backed by a loan numbered 77130, this procurement tender carries the reference identifier GD-MCRERE- 489846-GO-RFQ, and is being managed by the country’s Ministry of Climate Resilience, The Environment & Renewable Energy.

    This tender covers three core types of goods: 30 conference room chairs, 12 standard office chairs, and 4 filing cabinets. Winning suppliers will be required to complete delivery of all ordered items within a 2-month timeline from contract award.

    The procurement follows the National Competitive Bidding framework structured as a Request for Quotation, aligned fully with the World Bank’s September 2023 *Guidelines: PROCUREMENT IN INVESTMENT PROJECT FINANCING Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services*. The tender is open to all eligible suppliers that meet the criteria laid out in the global institution’s procurement guidelines, with clear provisions for addressing potential conflicts of interest as outlined in sections 1.6 and 1.7 of the guidelines.

    All steps of this tender process will take place exclusively through an online digital procurement platform. Interested eligible bidders must complete registration, submit their formal quotations, and raise any queries about the tender through the dedicated portal at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/GND/aspx/Home. The official bidding documents will be released to registered participants starting July 17, 2026, and all submitted quotations must be prepared in the English language.

    The formal deadline for electronic bid submission is 3 p.m. local time on August 7, 2026. Tender organizers will not accept any hard copy submissions, and any bids received after the stated deadline will be automatically rejected. For technical support related to registration and navigation of the e-procurement portal, bidders can reach the administrative team via email at [email protected].

    This tender forms a small but key component of the broader CEGEB project, which aims to advance energy efficiency and sustainable building standards across Grenada as part of the country’s climate resilience and renewable energy development goals.