The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the regional body overseeing secondary and pre-university standardized assessments across the Caribbean, has disclosed a set of unprecedented and growing challenges impacting its 2025 exam cycle, marking the first documented case of artificial technology misuse during official assessments alongside soaring candidate absenteeism and a sharp uptick in academic misconduct. During a regional performance briefing hosted in Anguilla, CXC Director of Operations Dr. Nicole Manning outlined the three most pervasive integrity violations recorded in this year’s exams, topped by the use of unauthorized electronic devices, candidate collusion, possession of unauthorized exam materials, and the groundbreaking new infraction: intentional misuse of artificial intelligence to gain unfair advantage during assessments. “This is a completely new development for us – we have never recorded confirmed AI misuse in our exams before now,” Dr. Manning stated. To address this emerging threat to academic integrity, CXC has already adapted an internationally recognized AI assessment framework to guide regional secondary and post-secondary institutions in establishing clear, enforceable standards for responsible technology use during high-stakes testing. Dr. Manning also issued a critical public warning to students about the hidden risks of oversharing sensitive information with AI platforms, advising: “To all students: do not input your personal identifiable information into any AI tool or online platform. Sharing this data puts your identity and personal security at severe risk.” Candidates caught violating exam integrity rules face severe penalties, ranging from disqualification of their entire exam results to a permanent ban from future CXC assessment cycles. Alongside new AI-related challenges, the 2025 exam cycle saw a crisis of absenteeism that has raised serious concerns across regional education systems. Official CXC data shows that 3,534 registered candidates missed this year’s pre-university Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), while the issue was far more acute at the secondary education level, where 32,403 registered students failed to appear for their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams. Dr. Manning emphasized that exam absenteeism automatically eliminates a candidate’s chance to earn a formal qualification, as missing a core assessment component means no final grade can be issued. “Candidates who skip their exams lose the opportunity entirely, no exceptions,” she explained. “Surveys of absent candidates show many stay away because they feel unprepared, but that is never a valid reason to miss an exam. Just try – nothing beats a trial, and any attempt is better than walking away from the opportunity.” Overall reported exam irregularities jumped 60% year-over-year, rising from 80 confirmed cases in the previous assessment cycle to 128 in 2025. Common additional infractions beyond integrity violations included disruptive behavior in exam halls and unauthorized possession of study notes. Another parallel crisis has emerged in school-based assessment (SBA) requirements, which count toward a candidate’s final grade, with growing rates of non-submission. Dr. Manning explained that non-submissions stem from two root causes: some school administrative centers fail to submit completed student projects on time, while other candidates do not complete the required coursework at all. With non-submission rates climbing steadily, Dr. Manning called on regional education ministries to intervene, helping students understand that skipping any required assessment component results in an ungraded, non-qualifying result. Beyond assessment integrity and absenteeism, CXC also highlighted a widening gender participation gap that becomes more pronounced as students progress through the Caribbean education system. While male and female enrollment is evenly split at the primary school level, male participation drops sharply by the time students reach secondary and post-secondary level exams. For the 2025 CAPE exams, females made up 62% of all registered candidates, compared to just 38% male participation. At the CSEC level, females account for 59% of candidates, with males making up the remaining 41%. Calling for a coordinated regional response to close the gap, Dr. Manning noted: “This disparity has developed over time, and as a regional education community, we must work together to identify solutions that ensure the 50/50 gender balance we see at primary school is maintained as students move into secondary and post-secondary education. We have to support all our children to stay in school and complete their qualifications.” Despite the range of challenges facing the 2025 assessment cycle, CXC also reported notable administrative and accessibility progress across the region. The organization expanded support for students with special educational needs, rolling out customized testing provisions including extra writing time, braille exam papers, and on-site readers across 16 CXC territories for CSEC exams and eight countries for CAPE. CXC also highlighted the success of its emergency response protocols following the impact of a severe Category 5 hurricane that struck Jamaica in October 2025. By implementing a modified assessment pathway for affected exam centers in western Jamaica, the organization ensured that candidates who lost homes and personal property were not denied the opportunity to sit their exams. Finally, CXC recognized Anguilla for its leadership in advancing digital assessment across the region, noting the successful rollout of a new hybrid e-assessment format for CSEC exams. The new model, which allows candidates to view exam questions on screen while writing their answers in traditional physical booklets, eases the transition to full digital testing while preserving uniform regional assessment standards.
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DOMLEC acknowledges customer frustration following prolonged outages
Between August 14 and 15, thousands of customers across Dominica were left without power in a series of widespread, sometimes day-long outages that disrupted daily life across the island. Now, Dominica Electricity Services Ltd. (DOMLEC) has issued a formal apology for the disruptions, while acknowledging multiple unplanned events that knocked the island’s grid offline and outlining steps to improve future response efforts.
In an official media statement released by the company, Acting General Manager Ellise Darwton took accountability for gaps in the utility’s response, noting that the company is actively reviewing protocols to prevent similar prolonged disruptions going forward. “We fully recognize how disruptive and challenging it is to go hours without power, especially when outages stretch overnight and into the next business day,” Darwton said in the statement. “Electricity is the backbone of daily life for our customers – it powers homes, keeps businesses running, preserves food for households, enables critical communication, and supports so many other essential activities. We sincerely apologize for every moment of disruption and frustration this event caused our community.”
According to DOMLEC’s incident breakdown, four separate major outages struck the island’s electrical grid within a 24-hour window. Two of the outages, first at 4:29 a.m. and a second at 1:09 p.m. on Friday, were triggered when the island’s geothermal generation plant disconnected unexpectedly from the main grid. Crews restored service for the first outage by 7:30 a.m. the same day, but severe weather and overgrown vegetation along transmission lines slowed restoration work for the second outage. Later that night, at 10:30 p.m., a falling tree damaged high-tension transmission lines in the Fond Canie area, triggering a third outage. A fourth event knocked out service to communities on the East Coast and Laudat around 4 a.m. Saturday. By 2 p.m. that same day, restoration crews had brought power back online to nearly all affected areas across the island.
Beyond reviewing response protocols, Darwton confirmed that DOMLEC is re-evaluating how it disseminates information to customers during extended outages, including exploring more low-tech, community-focused outreach strategies to reach residents who lack access to internet or battery-powered electronic devices when the power goes out. “We know how critical timely updates are for our customers when service is out for hours,” Darwton explained. “While we pushed out regular updates through national radio and social media during this event, we are conducting a full review of our communication strategy for major grid incidents. We are actively identifying additional, more community-centered methods to reach customers who cannot access electronic devices or internet service when their power is cut.”
Daryl Dalrymple, DOMLEC’s Engineering, Transmission and Distribution Manager, framed the series of outages as a growing pain tied to the broader transformation of Dominica’s electricity sector, which is currently in the process of scaling up geothermal energy generation. “Dominica’s electricity sector is going through a major transition right now,” Dalrymple said. “We are operating with the infrastructure we have in place today, while we work to complete the full geothermal development project and all the associated grid upgrades that come with it.”
Dalrymple added that geothermal development is currently in the first of three planned phases, with DOMLEC working simultaneously to optimize new generation capacity and resolve ongoing technical kinks in the integrated grid system. He also praised line crews and response staff who worked through harsh weather conditions to restore service, emphasizing that worker safety remains the company’s top priority throughout all restoration efforts.
In closing, the DOMLEC statement thanked customers for their patience and understanding throughout the disruptions, reaffirming the company’s commitment to addressing the gaps and challenges exposed by the event. “DOMLEC remains committed to addressing every challenge we have identified during this incident, completing our ongoing system upgrades, and building a more robust, reliable electricity network that will deliver long-term benefits for all of Dominica and its people,” the statement concluded.
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Union urges govt to raise air traffic controllers’ pay, recognise specialist skills
Barbados’ largest public sector labor organization has issued an urgent warning: without immediate pay raises and greater national recognition for the nation’s air traffic controllers, the country risks losing this critical specialized workforce to higher-paying international employers.
In an interview with local outlet Barbados TODAY on Tuesday, Wayne Walrond, acting general secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), emphasized that air traffic controllers hold an extraordinarily high-stakes role that underpins aviation safety across the island. Every day, their decisions directly impact the safe takeoff and landing of thousands of passengers traveling through Barbados’ airports, a responsibility that has long been undercompensated, he argued.
“What we need is better compensation and greater national acknowledgement for these professionals,” Walrond stated. A regional comparison makes the pay gap starkly clear: across many parts of the Caribbean, experienced air traffic controllers earn between $8,000 and $10,000 per month, a pay range that Barbados’ controllers have never reached. Walrond noted that while controllers on the island currently earn around $5,000 monthly, neighboring jurisdictions offer more than double that rate for the same specialized work.
The global aviation industry is already facing a widespread shortage of qualified air traffic controllers, Walrond explained, making Barbados’ skilled workforce an attractive target for international recruiters. If the government fails to adjust pay and recognition to match regional and global standards, the island will inevitably lose trained controllers to jurisdictions offering far better employment terms, he warned.
Currently, Barbados’ air traffic controllers are slotted into standard civil service salary bands, but their specialized skill set and critical role demand a distinct classification that aligns with international aviation requirements, Walrond argued. The government must update their compensation structure to ensure the country remains compliant with global aviation safety standards, he added.
Beyond core aviation safety, Walrond stressed that air traffic controllers are an unsung backbone of Barbados’ crucial tourism sector. When discussions about tourism growth turn to key industry players, attention typically centers on hoteliers, tourism promoters and ancillary service providers that benefit directly from visitor spending. Rarely does the conversation acknowledge the foundational work of air traffic controllers, without which no commercial flight could operate.
“A pilot cannot legally take off or land an aircraft without explicit clearance from the control tower,” Walrond pointed out. A single wide-body commercial flight can carry more than 200 passengers, meaning every air traffic controller holds the lives of hundreds of people in their hands on a daily basis. This level of responsibility is unmatched in most public sector roles, yet it often goes unrecognized by the general public and policymakers alike.
In addition to highlighting the needs of air traffic controllers, Walrond also called attention to the underrecognized work of aeronautical information service officers. These professionals work full daily shifts from sunrise to sunset, verifying the authenticity of operational data shared across aviation agencies to guarantee that all flight operations remain safe, consistent and efficient.
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CXC launches modular qualification framework
In a landmark ceremony held in Anguilla during the release of the May/June Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) officially launched the Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (CTEC), a groundbreaking modular qualification framework. The launch followed the board of governors’ approval after a pilot program in mathematics, long a historically challenging subject for regional students, delivered exceptional results that far outstripped traditional assessment outcomes.
For decades, mathematics has presented a persistent barrier to Caribbean secondary students: under the traditional all-or-nothing assessment model, only around one-third of test-takers across the region earned passing grades on a single attempt. This outdated system left hundreds of thousands of young people with no formal recognition for the partial knowledge and skills they had gained over years of study, even when they had mastered significant portions of the syllabus. The CTEC framework addresses this flaw by restructuring the full traditional syllabus into smaller, focused, individual learning modules that allow students to progress and earn certification incrementally.
Under the new system, each completed module earns learners a portable, stackable credential that is banked toward a full final qualification. If unforeseen life circumstances interrupt a student’s educational journey, they leave with verified certification for the skills they have already mastered, rather than walking away with no formal recognition. Critically, CXC leaders emphasize that the modular model retains the same rigorous academic standards as the original qualification, simply breaking content into more manageable, assessable stages.
The initial pilot of CTEC Mathematics Module 1 included 2,535 candidates across 15 Caribbean territories and 42 testing centers, spanning nations and territories including Barbados, Jamaica, Belize, the Cayman Islands, and host nation Anguilla. Impressively, 88 percent of participating pilot candidates earned acceptable grades, with only one test-taker across the entire region receiving the lowest possible grade tier. CXC Registrar and CEO Dr. Wayne Wesley noted that this outcome marks a dramatic reversal of longstanding outcomes for mathematics assessment, where barely one in three students have succeeded in traditional single-sitting exams for generations.
Beyond standalone pilot participants, CXC mapped CTEC Module 1 competencies to the existing standard CSEC mathematics syllabus, allowing nearly 35,000 additional candidates from the May/June standard exam sitting to automatically receive the CTEC Mathematics Module 1 credential. In total, almost 70,000 Caribbean students now hold Module 1 certification through this combined evaluation approach. Dr. Wesley highlighted that this initiative has already re-engaged tens of thousands of students who would otherwise have received no recognition for their progress, reigniting their motivation to continue their education.
Dr. Wesley emphasized that a 20th-century assessment model was never designed to meet the needs of 21st-century learners, and that CTEC represents a learner-centered redesign that maintains full academic rigor. He called on regional governments and education policymakers to integrate the CTEC modular framework into national education strategies, technical and vocational training programs, and second-chance learning initiatives, noting that verified module credentials make tangible human capital visible to employers and strengthen regional economies.
The official CTEC emblem was jointly unveiled by Dr. Wesley and Anguilla’s Minister of Social Development and Education Shellya Rogers-Webster, marking the formal integration of the new modular system into CXC’s permanent portfolio of qualifications. Students accessing the CXC student portal will now see their new CTEC credentials displayed alongside their traditional examination results, creating a more comprehensive record of their academic progress and skills.
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Govt floats permanent farmers’ markets to help cut cost of living
On August 18, 2026, Guyana President Irfaan Ali announced that his administration is exploring the creation of a nationwide network of permanent farmers’ markets, a structural policy intervention designed to cut exploitative middleman markups and ease the growing pressure of skyrocketing living costs across the country. Speaking at a press briefing, Ali outlined that the permanent markets would integrate directly into the country’s retail food ecosystem, giving small-scale and independent producers unmediated access to consumers. He did not mince words when describing the markup issue currently plaguing Guyana’s food sector, noting that some retailers are inflating produce prices by as much as 10 times the rate they paid farmers to source the goods, pocketing exorbitant, unfair profit margins at the expense of both producers and working-class households. For years, the Guyanese government has operated temporary pop-up farmers’ markets through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, offering select staple goods at discounted rates to consumers. But shifting consumer behavior over recent years has eroded the reach of these ad-hoc initiatives and lower-cost traditional municipal and village markets. Ali explained that more Guyanese consumers now prioritize shopping at large supermarkets, which command higher price points, while changing dietary habits have also driven increased demand for pre-prepared cooked food, further reshaping market dynamics. The president noted that his administration has already deployed nearly all available policy tools to curb rising living costs, pointing to previous measures including the full elimination of excise tax on fuel, direct subsidies for agricultural producers, and the rollback of hikes to drainage and irrigation service fees and land rental fees implemented by the prior administration. Even with these interventions in place, however, global headwinds driven largely by ongoing conflict in the Middle East have pushed up the cost of critical production inputs including pharmaceutical supplies for livestock and crop fertilizer, offsetting much of the government’s domestic relief. Ali pushed back against calls for expanded cash grants as a long-term solution to the cost of living crisis, emphasizing that recurring cash transfers can only act as a temporary buffer for vulnerable households, not a fix for the systemic market failures driving price hikes. “No amount of grant will address it,” he told reporters. “Grants are there to support different level of vulnerability and to support injection for family income. We have to address it in a structural way.” The main opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity led by the People’s National Congress Reform, has previously put forward its own policy framework to ease price pressures, calling for expanded national food production and broad-based consumer subsidies. The Ali administration has already aligned with the opposition on the core goal of boosting domestic agricultural output as a long-term mechanism to bring down food prices, and the proposed permanent farmers’ market network would serve as a complementary supply-side reform to connect that increased production directly to consumers at fairer prices.
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Export opportunities identified for small biz
Barbados’ leading coalition for service sector businesses is sounding a clarion call to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and microbusinesses across the island, pointing to massive unrealized export potential waiting to be unlocked in neighboring Caribbean and broader Latin American markets. The assessment was delivered during a recent export preparedness workshop hosted at Pelican House on Harbour Road, where leaders from the business community and enterprise development specialists broke down the barriers and opportunities for local firms looking to expand beyond Barbados’ borders.
Executive Director Michelle Smith-Mayers of the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries (BCSI) opened the discussion by noting that while a growing number of small local firms have begun dipping their toes into cross-border trade in recent years, the vast majority of the regional market remains largely unexplored by Barbadian operators. “We are seeing an upward trend in interest, and we already have a handful of small businesses successfully exporting their offerings,” Smith-Mayers told attendees. “But the entire Caribbean region is still an untapped, uncharted space for most of our enterprises.”
Smith-Mayers emphasized that any business looking to enter overseas markets must first map out critical logistics strategies, from choosing distribution models—whether working with third-party distributors, selling directly to customers, or leveraging digital e-commerce platforms—to planning end-to-end delivery of their offerings. Among the most accessible pathways for new exporters, she singled out digital and service-based trade as particularly high-potential, calling it “low-hanging fruit” for local businesses thanks to its inherent portability.
Unlike physical goods that require complex shipping, customs clearance, and international logistics networks, professional services ranging from accounting and legal consulting to graphic design and digital game development can be delivered entirely remotely from Barbados, allowing providers to serve international clients without ever leaving the island. Smith-Mayers also pointed out that many Barbadians are already unofficially exporting services through remote work for overseas companies, a trend that can be formalized and expanded to drive broader economic growth.
Beyond the Caribbean, Smith-Mayers highlighted Latin America—specifically Panama—as an underrecognized growth market for Barbadian exporters. She noted that Barbadians already regularly travel to Panama to source inputs, clothing, and other goods for domestic resale, creating an existing trade flow that can be leveraged to reverse the dynamic: instead of only importing from the market, local businesses can begin exporting their own goods and services to Panamanian consumers and firms. “There is so much untapped potential for our small, medium, and microbusinesses right here in our own neighborhood,” she added.
Byron Gibson, an enterprise development consultant with the Barbados Trust Fund Ltd, echoed the positive outlook on Barbados’ export potential, but offered a key note of caution for aspiring exporters. Gibson argued that while many local businesses already produce products that hold their own against international competitors in terms of quality and consumer appeal, having a competitive product does not equate to having an organization prepared for the demands of international trade.
“Before a business can even think about entering an overseas market, the first step is a comprehensive internal evaluation to understand where the enterprise currently stands, what gaps it has, and what it needs to succeed,” Gibson explained. He noted that many Barbadian products already outperform international brands on local store shelves, proving their quality can compete globally. But, he stressed, “an internationally competitive product and an export-ready enterprise are two entirely separate things. We already have export-ready products in Barbados; what we need now are export-ready enterprises that can scale and support those products in cross-border markets.”
Gibson added that businesses pursuing export opportunities must also put critical foundational structures in place, including robust intellectual property protection, standardized international contracts, and sufficient internal operational capacity to serve international customers consistently. Long-term export success, he concluded, depends on focusing equally on two core areas: building the firm’s ability to deliver on international demands, and ensuring business leaders have a clear understanding of exactly what is required to successfully enter and sustain operations in new overseas markets.
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Meat Shop Owner Speaks Out After Worker Shot Dead
A young father who had been given a second chance to rebuild his life has been killed in a brazen close-range shooting at a popular public market in Belize District, leaving his employer, fellow vendors and the broader community reeling and demanding urgent action to improve public safety.
Twenty-seven-year-old Tyrel Robinson was gunned down shortly after 5 p.m. Monday by an unidentified armed attacker at Jun’s Meat Shop, where he had worked for six months inside Michael Finnegan Market along West Collet Canal. His employer, Aaron Castillo, who gave Robinson the job after seeing he wanted to turn his life around, spoke publicly this week about the shock of the violence that unfolded right in front of him.
Castillo recalled that he immediately recognized Robinson did not want to remain trapped in a cycle of street life when they first met. “I was watching him, and he did not look like any ordinary street boy,” Castillo said. “I gave the man a chance because he looked like he wanted to change his life.” In the six months Robinson worked at the meat shop, Castillo described him as a friendly, hardworking staff member who treated every customer with respect and was well-liked by regulars who visited the market.
The attack unfolded as Castillo was serving another customer, he said. He heard the ring of gunfire, spun around, and realized Robinson had been hit. Fearing that the shooter would target bystanders next, Castillo fled the immediate area to get to safety. Robinson was rushed by emergency responders to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, the country’s main public medical facility, but doctors were unable to save him, and he died from his gunshot wounds.
The killing is not the first time Robinson has been targeted: he survived a separate assassination attempt in 2023, when two men on bicycles opened fire outside his home on Bocotora Street. Court records also show Robinson had a prior run-in with the law in 2019, when he was arrested and charged with theft, attempted theft and property damage following an incident where he allegedly snatched a gold chain from Magistrate Tanisha Smith near the Michael Finnegan Market.
To date, investigators have not released a confirmed motive for the Monday shooting, leaving the community with unresolved questions about why Robinson was targeted. In the wake of his death, vendors who operate stalls inside the market have banded together to call for sweeping changes to public security at the facility. They are demanding increased patrols by law enforcement and stricter screening for all people entering the market.
Castillo has joined those calls, urging local authorities to deploy armed security guards at every entry gate to the market and implement a ban on anyone entering while wearing helmets or full face coverings that can hide a person’s identity, a common tactic used by attackers in public street violence to avoid being identified. The shooting has underscored persistent concerns about violent crime in public communal spaces in Belize, and left a 27-year-old father’s family without a breadwinner as the community mourns a young man who was actively working to build a better life.
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Antigua and Barbuda Receives Three Ocean Data Buoy Stations
The twin-island Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda has taken a major step forward in strengthening its coastal resilience and climate action with the delivery of three advanced SOFAR Ocean Data Buoy Stations. The new infrastructure, financed entirely through a European Union grant, was formally received by Minister of State Michael Freeland at an official handover ceremony held this Tuesday at Point Wharf.
Designed to fill critical gaps in the country’s current marine observation network, these buoy stations will deliver near real-time, high-precision data on ocean conditions and atmospheric meteorology. According to project planners, this continuous stream of granular information will directly improve the accuracy of marine weather forecasts, boost overall maritime safety for commercial and recreational vessel traffic, and enable more rigorous assessments of coastal hazards ranging from storm surges to rapid sea-level changes.
Alongside the deployment of the physical equipment, specialized technical teams from the program are currently leading hands-on training sessions for local personnel. The training covers every stage of the system’s lifecycle, from on-site deployment and day-to-day operation to regular preventative maintenance and troubleshooting. This focus on local capacity building ensures the buoy network will remain operational and effective for years to come, without relying on constant external support.
Government officials involved in the initiative emphasize that the upgraded monitoring network will deliver far-reaching public and economic benefits. By enabling earlier, more accurate warnings of impending coastal and weather hazards, the system will help protect the lives of residents and visitors alike, safeguard public and private property, and shore up the nation’s most critical economic sectors—including tourism, commercial fishing, and maritime trade, which form the backbone of Antigua and Barbuda’s economy.
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More barrels of oil for Guyana now that ExxonMobil has recouped expenses
In a landmark announcement delivered at a press briefing on Tuesday, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali confirmed that ExxonMobil and its joint development partners have fully recouped nearly $40 billion in exploration and operational costs, clearing the way for the South American nation to dramatically increase its share of crude oil output from the Stabroek Block project.
President Ali emphasized that the updated barrel allocation framework aligns fully with the terms of the original 2016 Production Sharing Agreement struck between the Guyanese government and the ExxonMobil-led consortium, which includes China National Offshore Oil Corporation and U.S. energy major Chevron. Under the original structure, 75% of every 100 barrels produced was reserved for cost recovery for the energy partners. With the remaining $5 billion in outstanding costs now fully cleared, that cost-recovery allocation has dropped sharply to just 20 barrels per 100 produced.
The new allocation model leaves 80 barrels of every 100 to be split equally between Guyana and the consortium. Under the revised terms, Guyana will receive 39.8 barrels per 100 produced, with the same 39.8 barrels distributed across ExxonMobil and its co-venturers. This marks a transformative shift in revenue flow for the small Caribbean nation, which has seen its economic fortunes transformed by major offshore oil discoveries over the past decade.
Earlier this year, ExxonMobil’s Guyana subsidiary announced that it had accelerated its cost recovery timeline, a shift driven by the recent sharp spike in global crude oil prices. Geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran have sent benchmark oil prices soaring from roughly $45 per barrel to over $100 per barrel in recent months, boosting revenue for the consortium and allowing it to recoup expenses far faster than initially projected.
Beyond the revised revenue split, President Ali also outlined updated production targets for the Stabroek Block. The project currently produces between 900,000 and 920,000 barrels of oil per day, and Ali confirmed that output is on track to hit 1 million barrels per day by the fourth quarter of 2026. That milestone will be reached following the arrival of the project’s fifth Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which is set to depart Singapore for Guyana later this month.
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“Three Hours of Work for One Gallon of Gas”?
At a press conference held by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) in Belize City on August 18, 2026, the stagnant $5 national minimum wage emerged as a central point of contention, with union representatives decrying the policy as a failure that leaves working-class families trapped in cycles of financial hardship.
Union Senator Glenfield Dennison led the criticism, highlighting the stark gap between minimum wage earnings and soaring basic commodity costs. He pointed to the crippling reality that a worker currently must put in three full hours of labor just to afford a single gallon of gasoline – a ratio he called indefensible for any working economy.
Dennison warned that prolonged economic desperation pushes vulnerable workers toward dangerous choices, noting that most people prefer to earn an honest living to support their households. But when a full day of work is not enough to cover basic needs, he argued, some people are forced to turn to petty theft just to put food on the table for their children. He went as far as to describe Belize’s current labor and wage landscape as a modern-day slave mill, arguing that working people have seen little to no meaningful economic progress four and a half decades after the country gained independence.
Beyond addressing the inadequate minimum wage, Dennison called on the Belizean government to develop a comprehensive, actionable strategy to expand economic opportunity and ease the crippling financial pressure on working households. He also condemned the widespread practice of politicians using public funds to provide targeted financial assistance to constituents as blatant vote-buying. Dennison criticized the system where families are forced to beg their local representative for help covering basic costs like their children’s school tuition, only to have those favors weaponized for political gain during election cycles.
Fourty-five years after Belize secured full sovereignty, Dennison argued that the country is moving backward rather than forward, leaving working people behind in a system that fails to deliver fair compensation or basic economic security.