标签： Dominica

Roseau City Council has launched a wide-ranging review of its financial and municipal administrative operations, framing the effort as a targeted push to boost operational efficiency, reinforce public accountability, and shore up the critical revenue stream required to keep core city services running for local residents. As a centerpiece of this broader revenue recovery strategy, the municipal governing body recently announced that it will imminently release a public roster of individual residents and local commercial entities that hold long-outstanding property tax and municipal fee debts. Council officials emphasized in an official statement that the new transparency measure is designed to recoup unpaid funds that form a core part of the budget for high-priority public services across Roseau. “This upcoming publication specifically focuses on individuals and businesses that have carried long-standing unpaid debt obligations to the city,” the statement read. “All revenue recovered through this initiative will go directly toward funding essential community services, from sanitation pickup to sidewalk repairs and storm drain maintenance.” To give defaulters a path to avoid public naming, the council is urging all property owners and business operators with overdue accounts to take proactive action before the official list is published. The administration is encouraging anyone with outstanding balances to reach out to council offices at the earliest opportunity to confirm their account status, pay off what they owe, or negotiate a structured, feasible payment plan that fits their financial circumstances. Under the council’s policy, any individual or business that either pays their full outstanding balance or enters into a formal, binding payment agreement prior to the publication deadline will be removed from consideration and excluded from the public list. “Defaulters that resolve their outstanding accounts or sign a formalized payment plan before the publication date will have their names kept off the public list,” the council confirmed in its statement. For residents or business owners with questions about their existing account balances, payment processes, or how to set up a settlement arrangement, the council advises visiting its administrative offices in person or reaching out directly to the municipal administration for one-on-one support.

Against a backdrop of shrinking and volatile international development aid, the top official of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has called on regional tax administrations to step into a central role in building stronger, more economically resilient nations across the Caribbean.

CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett delivered this call to action during the opening session of the Caribbean Organisation of Tax Administrators (COTA) 27th General Assembly and Technical Conference, which kicked off Monday in Georgetown, Guyana. The five-day gathering, which brings together tax policy leaders from across the region, centers on the official theme: “Future-Ready CARICOM Tax Administration: Smart, Data-Driven and AI-Enabled for Sustainable Revenue.”

Before turning to the conference agenda, Barnett opened her address by offering formal condolences to the government and people of Guyana in the wake of the M.V. Barima disaster, affirming that the entire CARICOM bloc stands in solidarity with all those impacted by the tragedy.

Barnett framed the conference as a pivotal gathering for the region, coming at a moment when CARICOM heads of government have advanced a sweeping slate of shared regional priorities. These priorities include the recent admission of Martinique and French Guiana as Associate Members, deepening integration through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, expanding the free movement of people across borders, strengthening regional food and energy security, boosting climate disaster resilience, and continuing collective advocacy for comprehensive reform of the global international financial system.

Achieving these ambitious goals, Barnett stressed, hinges on governments having consistent, sufficient financial resources to invest in critical public goods: from transportation and digital infrastructure to healthcare systems, public education, climate adaptation measures, and a range of other essential community services.

“Particularly in this period when international development cooperation is increasingly uncertain, sustainable development, more than ever, depends on more reliable, resilient and home-grown sources of financing long-term growth and prosperity,” Barnett told delegates.

She went on to outline the unique structural pressures facing Caribbean nations that strain public budgets: small open economies that are disproportionately vulnerable to volatile global economic shocks, coupled with the rapidly growing costs of climate change impacts that force governments to divert funds from long-term development to emergency response and recovery.

Barnett also recognized COTA’s 50-plus year legacy of advancing cross-border cooperation, professional training, and knowledge sharing among regional tax agencies, work that has laid the groundwork for modernizing tax systems across the bloc. She emphasized that integrating digital tools, advanced data analytics, and artificial intelligence into tax administration can transform core operations: boosting total tax collection rates, improving customer service for individual and business taxpayers, and catching tax fraud far more efficiently than outdated manual systems. Even so, she acknowledged the growing risks that come with digital transformation, including rising cybersecurity threats and persistent digital divides that can leave smaller jurisdictions at a disadvantage.

In closing, Barnett encouraged conference delegates to use their five days of discussion and collaboration to develop concrete, actionable recommendations that will strengthen public financial governance, increase confidence among global and regional investors, and help build a more competitive, integrated, and sustainable Caribbean Community for future generations.

On a significant diplomatic occasion at its headquarters in Dominica, the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba hosted a formal ceremony to celebrate the country’s National Rebellion Day, drawing attendees from two key bilateral organizations: the Dominica Guild of Cuban Graduates and the Dominica-Cuba Friendship Association.

Beyond its commemorative purpose, the gathering served as a platform to celebrate the decades-long collaborative bond between Havana and Roseau, while shining a spotlight on the critical contributions the two participating organizations have made over the years to nurturing people-to-people ties and advancing official cooperation between the two Caribbean nations.

In his keynote address to attendees, Cuban Ambassador to Dominica Miguel Fraga opened a discussion on the pressing contemporary challenges that Cuba navigates, according to an official press statement released by the embassy following the event. Fraga centered much of his remarks on the far-reaching harm caused by the longstanding, recently intensified economic, commercial and financial blockade enforced by the United States. He placed specific focus on the crippling impacts of the oil embargo component of the restrictions, detailing the widespread daily hardships the policy has imposed on ordinary Cuban citizens.

Fraga also directed sharp criticism at what he framed as the growing aggression and hostile policy threats against Cuba advanced by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, underscoring how these actions have exacerbated existing pressures on the island nation. Despite these challenges, the ambassador emphasized that Cuba retains widespread backing across the global community. He pointed to the most recent annual United Nations vote on the blockade as clear evidence of this support, noting that an overwhelming majority of UN member states once again voted in favor of a resolution calling for an immediate end to the U.S. embargo. Fraga noted that this lopsided outcome underscores the growing international isolation of Washington’s policy toward Cuba on the global stage.

As part of the day’s commemorative activities, the ceremony included a special honor for Dr. Damien Dublin, who was recognized by the Dominica Guild of Cuban Graduates for his unwavering, longstanding commitment to deepening bilateral friendship and cooperation between Cuba and Dominica, as well as his consistent public support for the Cuban Revolution.

Following the address and award presentation, representatives from all participating organizations issued a collective reaffirmation of their solidarity with Cuba. They pledged to continue standing with the Cuban people in defense of the country’s sovereign right to self-determination, in the face of ongoing U.S. sanctions and other unilateral coercive measures.

The event drew to a close with attendees reflecting on the deep, durable roots of the Cuban-Dominica relationship, which has been built across decades of shared cooperation, mutual respect for national sovereignty and reciprocal support. All attendees united in a public commitment to continuing work to expand and strengthen the bilateral partnership in the years ahead.

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has made a key strategic appointment to deepen cross-regional ties, announcing that Aisha Maina, current Chief Executive Officer of Pan-African advisory firm Aquarian Consult Limited, will take up the newly created role of Strategic Advisor for Africa-Caribbean Cooperation. Official OECS press materials confirm the appointment officially went into effect on July 1, 2026, and is designed to accelerate the bloc’s ongoing work to build stronger, mutually beneficial partnerships between Eastern Caribbean nations and African countries across trade, investment, and a range of shared priority sectors.

Maina brings a diverse and extensive professional background to the new position, with deep expertise spanning governance frameworks, international trade, energy development, agribusiness, the creative economy, and socially impactful investment, per OECS assessments. Over her tenure leading Aquarian Consult Limited, she has overseen the delivery of dozens of high-impact regional and international development initiatives, while building deep, collaborative relationships with public sector institutions and private sector leaders across every major region of Africa. These cross-sector connections and proven leadership track record position her uniquely to drive forward cooperation between the two regions, OECS officials note.

In welcoming Maina to the OECS team, OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules emphasized the strategic importance of the appointment. “We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Aisha Maina to the OECS Commission,” Jules said. “Her proven track record of delivery, transformational leadership at Aquarian Consult, and expansive, forward-thinking vision for equitable South-South collaboration make her the ideal person to lead our strategic engagement with African nations. This appointment is a clear reflection of our unwavering commitment to building a more resilient, globally connected, and economically prosperous community for all OECS member states.”

In her new advisory capacity, Maina will report directly to the Office of the Director General, collaborating closely with OECS leadership to co-design policies and strategic frameworks that unlock new economic opportunities for businesses and communities on both sides of the Atlantic, while strengthening institutional collaboration between the two regions.

Reacting to her appointment, Maina highlighted the deep historical, cultural, and social ties that have long bound African and Caribbean peoples together, and expressed measured optimism about the untapped potential of the expanded partnership. “It is a deep privilege to serve the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in this capacity,” Maina said. “The historical, cultural, and economic synergy between Africa and the Caribbean represents an immense, largely untapped frontier of opportunity for shared growth. I look forward to working closely with Director General Dr. Didacus Jules and the entire OECS Commission team to translate our shared vision into transformative trade partnerships, inclusive sustainable growth, and lasting people-to-people connections for both our regions, strengthening what we see as a critical Transatlantic Bridge between the Global South.”

OECS leadership has framed the appointment as a deliberate, incremental step forward in the bloc’s broader commitment to advancing equitable South-South cooperation, and building deeper economic and cultural people-to-people ties between African nations and the 11 Eastern Caribbean member states that make up the OECS bloc.