BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), through its partnership with the Green Climate Fund (GCF), is financing a USD 27.1 million initiative to scale up hydrometeorological services and multi-hazard early warning systems in Belize and Trinidad and Tobago, strengthening those countries’ ability to anticipate, prepare for and respond to climate-related hazards and extreme weather events.
The project is being financed primarily through a USD 24.1 million grant, approved by the GCF and channelled through CDB. The bank will also provide USD 1.2 million in grant financing while USD 1.88 million in counterpart funding will come from the governments of Belize and Trinidad and Tobago. The project will be implemented by the Caribbean Meteorological Organisation, the Region’s specialised institution for meteorology and climate services, in partnership with national meteorological and disaster management agencies in the beneficiary countries.
The initiative will strengthen the countries’ capacity to detect, monitor, analyse, forecast and communicate information on weather, water and climate-related hazards. It will also support improvements in disaster risk management, climate information services, institutional capacity, and the delivery of timely warnings to vulnerable communities, helping to reduce loss and damage from increasingly frequent and severe climate-related events.
Belize and Trinidad and Tobago, like many Caribbean countries, continue to face growing threats from climate change, including hurricanes, flooding, droughts, heatwaves and sea-level rise. Strengthened early warning systems are recognised as one of the most critical and cost-effective tools for protecting lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and critical economic sectors.
Director of CDB’s projects department, L. O’Reilly Lewis, said the intervention reflects a shared commitment by CDB and GCF to building resilience in vulnerable Caribbean countries.
“This investment, made possible through the Green Climate Fund’s support, represents a critical step in strengthening climate resilience in Belize and Trinidad and Tobago. As climate-related hazards become more frequent and severe, robust early warning systems are essential to protecting communities, safeguarding key economic sectors and preserving development gains. The project advances CDB’s strategic focus on accelerating climate action, strengthening institutions and building social and environmental resilience, while creating a model that can inform similar investments across the Caribbean.”
The project is aligned with CDB’s Strategic Objectives 2026-2035, particularly its emphasis on Social and Environmental Resilience, Strengthening Institutions, and Accelerating Climate Action. It also supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 13, Climate Action.
Division chief, environmental sustainability, Valerie Isaac, highlighted the practical benefits that will accrue from the intervention.
“This project will help transform how climate and weather information is generated, shared and used. Strengthening forecasting capabilities, improving coordination among national and regional institutions, and enhancing communication with at-risk populations, enables communities, governments and key sectors to have access to timely, actionable information that supports preparedness and informed decision-making before climate-related hazards occur.”
WASHINGTON, USA, (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched the toolkit What Works to Prevent Bullying and Cyberbullying of Children and Adolescents in the Americas, a new resource that brings together evidence, recommendations, and practical tools to prevent and respond to a form of violence that affects millions of children and adolescents across the region.
The toolkit outlines the extent of bullying and cyberbullying, the toll they take on children and adolescents, and the evidence-based interventions that support prevention and response. Drawing on evidence from the health, education, and social protection sectors, it also highlights the important role of health services in early identification, comprehensive care, and ongoing support for affected children and adolescents.
“Bullying during childhood and adolescence is a form of peer violence that can have significant consequences for physical, sexual, mental, and emotional health,” said Britta Baer, PAHO regional advisor on violence and injury prevention and co-author of the toolkit. “The good news is that it can be prevented. We have evidence on what works, and this toolkit aims to make that evidence accessible to decision-makers, people who work with adolescents, and those who support their development.”
Bullying and cyberbullying in the region
Approximately one in four adolescents aged 13 to 17 in Latin America and the Caribbean reports having experienced bullying at school during the past month, although prevalence varies by country and subregion. Around 23 percent of students in Central America report experiencing bullying, compared with 30 percent in South America, according to data in the toolkit.
Bullying takes many forms and often occurs simultaneously in physical, verbal, sexual, and social forms. Patterns also differ by sex: physical bullying is more common among boys, while social and sexual bullying disproportionately affects girls, with different impacts and help-seeking behaviours.
Cyberbullying takes place when someone is harassed, threatened, or humiliated through digital platforms such as social media, instant messaging, online games, forums, or other online platforms. In recent years, the rapid growth of digital technologies has transformed the way peer violence occurs.
In some countries in the Region, between 7 percent and 27 percent of children and adolescents report having experienced cyberbullying during the previous 12 months, with higher prevalence among girls.
Unlike face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying can occur at any time, spread rapidly, and reach large audiences. The anonymity of perpetrators and the permanence of online content can further amplify its impact and make it more difficult to control.
PAHO emphasizes that cyberbullying does not occur in isolation. It often reflects, amplifies, or extends patterns of violence that also occur offline, particularly in schools. It may also overlap with other forms of digital violence, including the non-consensual sharing of personal information, identity theft, image-based abuse, and other forms of online control.
A public health priority
Violence—and bullying in particular—is a major determinant of the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Bullying and cyberbullying can seriously affect health and development and are associated with increased risks of depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, social isolation, sleep disorders, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts, as well as negative impacts on educational achievement and social development.
Studies cited in the toolkit show that students who experience bullying are more likely to report feelings of loneliness, sleep difficulties, and suicidal ideation than those who do not.
Bullying can also have consequences for physical, sexual, and reproductive health, including injuries, psychosomatic symptoms, chronic pain, sleep disorders, and experiences of sexual coercion or pressure. These impacts demonstrate why the response cannot be limited to schools alone and requires the involvement of health systems.
The document also warns that different forms of violence can overlap and reinforce one another. Violence may begin online and continue in person or start in person and be amplified through digital platforms. Early intervention is therefore essential to break cycles of violence and reduce lifelong risks.
Recognising the signs and acting early
Sudden behavioral changes, anxiety, irritability, social withdrawal, unexplained injuries, or reluctance to attend school may all be signs that a child or adolescent is experiencing bullying.
In cases of cyberbullying, warning signs may also include sudden changes in behavior while using or immediately after using digital devices, quickly closing screens when an adult approaches, or reluctance to discuss online activities.
PAHO highlights that health services can serve as a key point of contact for recognizing these signs, providing initial support, and referring children and adolescents to specialized services when needed.
The toolkit recommends that health workers incorporate questions about school and digital environments into routine consultations, identify warning signs, assess possible mental health impacts, and provide initial support to affected children and adolescents. It also underscores the importance of helping families promote safe technology use and coordinating with schools and other sectors to ensure a comprehensive response.
“The most important thing is for children and adolescents to know that bullying and cyberbullying are never acceptable and that they do not have to face them alone,” Baer said. “Seeking help from a trusted adult and using available reporting mechanisms can make a real difference.”
PAHO emphasises that addressing bullying requires action from many sectors and stakeholders, with the meaningful participation of young people at its core. The toolkit highlights the importance of strengthening support networks—including peer support—and promoting social and emotional skills as protective factors. It also recommends that parents and caregivers maintain open communication with children and adolescents, pay attention to signs of bullying, stay in contact with schools when necessary, and establish agreements on the safe and responsible use of the internet and mobile devices.
Health, education, and other sectors, together with all levels of government, should work collaboratively to develop and implement evidence-based responses to violence. The toolkit also underscores the role of the private sector—particularly digital platforms—in working with governments and communities to strengthen safety and protection by design.
The publication is part of PAHO’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the prevention of violence against children and adolescents and to support countries in breaking the cycle of violence through evidence-based tools.
New Director General Advances Reforms to Strengthen Hemispheric Agricultural Cooperation
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, (IICA) – A high-level delegation from the United States government visited the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Agricultural Agency of the Americas, for a wide-ranging meeting with director general Muhammad Ibrahim. The visit comes as Ibrahim leads institutional reforms sharpening IICA‘s role as the hemisphere’s lead technical partner on agriculture, serving all 34 member states without duplication or delay, and advancing common food security and trade priorities in the Americas.
The officials discussed global food security and nutrition, regional emergency and disaster response, and interagency cooperation. Talks also covered priority trade and animal health issues, including the fight against transboundary diseases such as New World Screwworm.
The US delegation included Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Lynda C. Blanchard; US ambassador to Costa Rica, Melinda Hildebrand; deputy assistant secretary of State Laken Rapier; and State Department Regional Advisor for Disasters and Humanitarian Affairs, Kumar Lakhavani.
Ambassador Blanchard proposed closer, more effective partnership between IICA and the UN‘s Rome-based food agencies, IFAD, FAO, and WFP, to expand trade opportunities for farmers and ranchers across the Americas, protect the Hemisphere’s food supply chain, and ground regional agricultural policy in sound science: “To unlock greater trade opportunities and safeguard our food supply, the Americas and the Caribbean must unite around agricultural policies grounded in sound science. By strengthening collaboration between IICA, FAO, and other organisations – and eliminating redundant efforts – we can support American farmers through science-based international standards, cutting-edge biotechnology, and robust plant and animal health defenses. Together, we are building safe, efficient, and resilient agricultural markets across the Western Hemisphere,” ambassador Blanchard said.
Ambassador Hildebrand pointed to the scope of IICA‘s work and the United States‘ role as its largest contributor: “IICA has a long track record of partnering closely with the United States to improve the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities throughout the Western Hemisphere. My visit to IICA headquarters reflects the value of an America First diplomatic agenda that delivers tangible security and economic results for the American taxpayer while ensuring stable, resilient agricultural supply chains across the hemisphere. I look forward to further engaging with IICA to address some of the greatest threats to agriculture in the region, including New World Screwworm and African Swine Fever,” ambassador Hildebrand said.
Deputy assistant secretary Rapier, who leads US engagement with international organisations, outlined where the department will look to IICA for delivery ahead: “Partnering with IICA provides the United States with a direct, strategic avenue to champion American agriculture. By cutting through international bureaucracy, we are focusing our partnerships on eliminating regulatory barriers, championing American innovation, and aligning our regional partners around sound science to bolster food supply and security,” Rapier said.
“IICA exists to serve its member states, and that means becoming faster, more focused, and more accountable every day. The reforms underway are sharpening our role as the Agricultural Agency of the Americas, delivering real results for our member states, not duplicated bureaucracy. I am proud of the partnership we share with the United States, and I look forward to working even more closely with our colleagues at the Rome-based UN food agencies, FAO, WFP, and IFAD, to ensure the unique needs of the Western Hemisphere are met with the urgency they deserve,” Ibrahim said.
Lakhavani emphasised the importance of expanding collaboration with IICA on global food and nutrition challenges, including the Institute’s ongoing work to control and prevent the spread of New World Screwworm.
The visit builds on a partnership dating to IICA‘s founding in 1942, conceived under the vision of then US vice president Henry A. Wallace, with the United States among its original member states. More than eight decades later, that partnership has grown into a strategic alliance advancing agricultural development, food security, and economic growth across the Americas, carried forward today by a reformed, results-driven IICA delivering on its role as the Agricultural Agency of the Americas.
“Organizational culture” is one of the few things every organisation has but few can clearly define. It shapes how people make decisions, respond to challenges and interact with one another. While a strong culture is often associated with higher productivity, innovation and employee engagement, it also serves another purpose: reinforcing the values and behaviours an organisation expects from its people.
For public institutions, those values carry particular weight. Public trust depends not only on governments delivering services effectively, but also on doing so with fairness, accountability and integrity.
Building and sustaining that culture requires more than codes of conduct or occasional workshops. It requires continuous investment in the knowledge, skills and judgment of public officials so that integrity becomes part of everyday practice, not simply a principle written into policy. That foundation is essential to ensuring effective governance and building capacity to prevent, detect and respond to corruption.
Corruption is a human and institutional problem
Anti-corruption training matters because laws and technologies are only as effective as the people and institutions that implement them. Capacity building and training across individuals, organisations, and institutional systems helps bridge the gap between formal rules and actual outcomes.
Training has long been recognised as a key tool in the fight against corruption. In the 1990s, anti-corruption capacity building in the public sector was mainly donor-led and centered on workshops and short courses for government officials. These programs, typically designed by international organisations, helped raise awareness but had limited long-term impact. Evaluations found that many were not tailored to operational needs, lacked adequate assessments of institutional capacity and were not supported by broader institutional frameworks.
Capacity building approaches eventually shifted from donor-led initiatives to demand-driven programs embedded within institutional systems. These programs were designed to meet operational needs and integrated within organisations, reflecting a growing recognition that lasting integrity depends on strong people and institutions rather than one-off interventions.
Nowadays, anti-corruption training have evolved from one-off, event-based programs to continuous learning, including the growing use of peer learning networks. These networks create recurring opportunities for practitioners and institutions to exchange knowledge, share experiences and respond to emerging risks.
Technology has further transformed anti-corruption capacity building from one-time training toward more specialised, technology-enabled learning. E-learning platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) tools and digital knowledge-sharing platforms are making training more interactive, accessible and tailored to different learning needs. Beyond training, AI and data analytics can also strengthen corruption prevention, detection and enforcement by identifying risks, supporting investigations and enhancing information sharing.
Technology can certainly help, but it cannot build capacity and foster anti-corruption culture on its own. Across the region, anti-corruption efforts are constrained less by technologies than by the human and institutional capacity required to apply it effectively.
Evidence suggests that anti-corruption training is most effective when it is specialised, continuous and embedded within institutional systems. Training that is skills-focused, grounded in local context and reinforced by institutional accountability can strengthen both individual and organisational capabilities. However, without complementary digital skills and supportive institutional and regulatory frameworks, technology alone cannot prevent or investigate corrupt behaviours. Effective and sustainable training therefore depends on institutional commitment, digital literacy and continuous practical learning.
Across APEC economies, anti-corruption training is increasingly shaped by technology and e-learning. While these innovations offer significant opportunities, their effectiveness varies considerably from one economy to another. Many economies continue to face challenges such as uneven digital access, limited institutional support, fragmented training initiatives and weak mechanisms for evaluating outcomes. Differences in digital readiness, institutional capacity and the maturity of training ecosystem also mean that priorities and approaches vary across economies.
What makes anti-corruption capacity building effective?
As economies continue to develop their cultures and capacities for anti-corruption, several factors can help ensure training and capacity building deliver lasting impacts. These include the need for continuous, institutionally embedded training; sustainable monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; and tapping into regional cooperation and international partners.
Integrating training into institutional frameworks
Training is most effective when it is embedded within institutional mandates and professional development systems rather than delivered on an ad hoc basis. This is quite a fundamental structural reform, and it starts with an economy-wide strategy that aligns training investment with corruption risks and institutional priorities. Such a framework allows different agencies to tailor training to their specific operational needs while ensuring programs remain coordinated and coherent.
To ensure training continues beyond external funding cycles, economies could institutionalise continuous learning within domestic systems. Integrating training into civil service induction, professional certification and performance management frameworks helps make integrity and anti-corruption part of everyday practice across prevention, detection and enforcement. This can be supported by investing in domestic training capacity through train-the-trainer programs and formal certification pathways for anti-corruption professionals, curriculum designers, trainers and evaluation specialists.
Measuring outcomes, not just participation
Another common challenge is the limited assessment of training outcomes, with many programs focus on measuring attendance rather than impacts. APEC economies should invest in monitoring and evaluation systems that assess learning outcomes, behavioural changes and institutional performance. Pre- and post-training assessments, follow-up surveys and linking training records to relevant performance data can help ensure that capacity building investments deliver measurable results.
Technology can also strengthen the evaluation of anti-corruption training. AI-powered adaptive learning, virtual reality simulations and gamified learning can deliver more personalised and engaging training while generating valuable data on learning outcomes and effectiveness. By piloting and rigorously evaluating these technology-enabled approaches, APEC economies can identify effective practices, continuously improve training designs and share evaluation findings with other APEC economies.
Leveraging regional cooperation
Given the varying levels of digital readiness and institutional capacity across APEC economies, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be effective. Capacity-building strategies should instead be tailored to each economy’s domestic context, institutional needs and level of readiness to maximise long-term impact. Regional cooperation can help bridge these differences by promoting peer learning, information exchange and technical assistance. Together, these efforts can help economies share good practices, develop context-specific training programs and strengthen the human and institutional capacities needed to combat corruption.
As AI and other emerging technologies become more widely adopted, the question is no longer whether technology can strengthen anti-corruption efforts, but whether institutions are investing in the people who use these tools. Technology is ultimately an enabler. Sustainable progress against corruption depends on capable people, strong institutions and a culture that can translate potential into action. In the fight against corruption, human and institutional capacity remain the driving forces behind lasting impacts.
Yan-Rong Chang is a researcher and Emmanuel San Andres is a senior analyst at the APEC Policy Support Unit.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (GIS) – To increase global capital, planning and policy-making across the Caribbean region, the public and private sectors must be “punctilious, increasingly evidence-based, data-driven, and empirical to the core,” senior minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, senator Christopher Sinckler, said August 12, as he delivered the feature address at the launch of the 2026 Caribbean Investment Forum, at the Hilton Barbados Resort.
In his presentation, entitled: Positioning the Caribbean for the Next Generation of Global Investment, senator Sinckler posited that the region is not only open for business, but ready to increase returns on investments while intensifying transformative development for all of its countries.
“In order to fully cash in, we must be prepared to position ourselves at the cutting edge of knowledge, information, technology, and institutional flexibility. Deepening our knowledge of what investors want, how and what markets work is going to be essential to repositioning ourselves to pre-open investment books nationally, regionally, and globally.”
Minister Sinckler shared that the Caribbean region is a stable, connected, and increasingly innovative geopolitical and economic space that offers commercially sound opportunities in global priorities such as food security, clean energy, digital solutions, climate resilience, and modern logistics.
“Our investment proposition must include not only what can be built in the Caribbean, but the assets that Caribbean people can use to build things for the world, whether tangible or intangible, as we all can be not just consumers but producers as well.
“This region is not a series of disconnected jurisdictions, but one investment space; one in which capital, skills, goods, and services are more effectively a space in which we can create partnerships using platforms such as Caribbean Investment Forum,” he highlighted.
The foreign affairs minister stated that the Caribbean region possesses a number of advantages: established democracies, respect for the rule of law, well-educated citizenry, and its strategic geographic location. He added that these advantages allow the countries to maintain deep ties with Europe, the Americas, and even now build stronger links with Africa and the wider global South.
“We must not only acquire the latest and best technologies, but we must be prepared to train our human resources across the region to mobilise and use that technology to drive innovation, expedite implementation, and increase inclusivity in policy-making and planning,” he urged.
Minister Sinckler said Barbados is extremely excited about the prospects of growing investments and economic opportunities, even as it expands and deepens its investments in social development, infrastructural renewal and national security.
CARACAS, (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government has granted an offshore natural gas concession to a consortium of British multinational BP, the United Arab Emirates’ XRG, and Qatar’s UCC.
Acting president Delcy Rodríguez held an agreement-signing ceremony and press conference on Thursday alongside executives of the three corporations on Wednesday.
“I salute this historical moment and thank you for setting up this consortium to achieve such an important agreement for Venezuela and the global energy community,” she said.
Rodríguez emphasized Caracas’ decision to prioritize natural gas ventures to supply the domestic market and boost exports. However, state energy company PDVSA is not a stakeholder in the project.
The multinational consortium was granted rights to drill in the so-called second phase of the Loran field, in the Deltana Platform off Venezuela’s Atlantic coast, with reserves estimated at 4 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Loran shares its deposits with the Manatee field in the territorial waters of Trinidad and Tobago. They hold 7.3 and 2.7 Tcf of natural gas, respectively.
The first phase of Loran’s exploration was granted to Shell, which is also operating on the Manatee side and expects to produce 4.4 Tcf from the two fields. Both phases are to be developed concurrently. Shell has additionally secured a concession to run the 4 Tcf Dragon field.
“The award of the Loran Phase 2 license […] builds on the strong collaboration we have established with the government of Venezuela and our partners and reflects the progress we have made together,” BP CEO Meg O’Neill stated during the televised event.
The London-headquartered multinational has aggressively pursued Venezuela natural gas opportunities. BP is also set to operate the 1 Tcf Cocuina-Manakin field alongside Trinidad and Tobago’s National Gas Company (NGC). BP recently sold 20 percent of its stake in the Cocuina-Manakin project to the NGC.
BP, Shell, and NGC hold respective 45, 45, and 10 percent shares in Atlantic LNG, a major liquefied natural gas project in Trinidad that is expected to process most of the output from the ventures in Venezuelan waters.
On Thursday, BP also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Venezuelan authorities to explore opportunities in the Carúpano East block, which belongs to the Mariscal Sucre offshore natural gas project.
XRG, the international arm of the UAE’s state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has been expanding overseas investments and recently secured a stake in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta development.
For its part, the UCC is a privately owned Qatari conglomerate with close ties to the royal family. Originally focused on construction and infrastructure, it has gradually expanded its portfolio to energy and mining ventures. The arrival of Qatari and Emirati firms in the South American country reflects Venezuela’s geopolitical realignment since the January 3 US military strikes and kidnapping of President Maduro. During the previous two decades, the Chávez and Maduro governments pursued an eastward-looking policy, deepening ties with Iran, Russia, and China in energy and other strategic sectors while maintaining a predominant state role.
In recent months, energy majors have flocked to Venezuela to strike new deals or renew existing ones following a pro-business overhaul to hydrocarbons legislation. A reformed Hydrocarbon Law slashed royalties and taxes, granted foreign partners control over operations and sales, and subordinated contracts to international arbitration bodies.
Despite the opening to transnational corporations, Venezuela’s oil output has stagnated since May. The latest OPEC monthly report placed the Caribbean nation’s July production at 1,117 million bpd, roughly one percent above the June figure, according to secondary sources.
PDVSA reported an output of 1,200 million bpd, up from 1.187 million bpd the prior month. Direct and secondary measurements have historically differed over disagreements on the inclusion of condensates and natural gas liquids.
JAMAICA / GUYANA – The Caribbean’s agriculture sector is set for one of its biggest regional gatherings in years, with more than 70 technical sessions, networking opportunities and a major exhibition and trade show planned for the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) in Jamaica from 27 September to 2 October 2026.
Since the launch of the CWA 2026 in May, the programme has evolved into five days of activities being organised by the CARICOM Secretariat, the government of Jamaica, regional partners and other stakeholders.
The event will be held in the parish of Trelawny, with activities starting on Sunday, 27 September, with field trips. The opening ceremony will take place that afternoon at the Ocean Coral Springs Resort.
Under the theme ‘The New F.A.C.E of Caribbean Food Systems,’ the technical sessions will focus on transforming the Region’s food systems and accelerating Vision 25 x 25 + 5 with discussions covering topics such as nutrition-smart and real food solutions; food as medicine; repositioning the root and tuber industry; competitive root crop research; fisheries and aquaculture; biogas and organic fertiliser; hydroponic fodder systems; financing agriculture and mobilising private capital; ruminant production resilience; women-led agri-business; and food security and cultural identity.
Technology-focused sessions will examine digital agriculture, including digital extension, and digital trade layer; applied artificial intelligence and citizen science; climate resilience and climate-smart technology.
Youth perspectives will feature prominently through a panel discussion, and in sessions including AgriYouth Rising – Cultivating the New F.A.C.E of Caribbean Agriculture; youth e-agriculture; and youth agricultural land access policy.
Several ministerial forums, including a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development on Agriculture, will be held during the week.
The 20th CWA is supported by regional and international partners, including the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism, CARICOM Private Sector Organisation, Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency; Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations World Food Programme, The University of the West Indies, and the Agriculture Alliance of the Caribbean.
The Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) is the premier event on the regional agricultural calendar. It is a roving event hosted by CARICOM member states and associate members and includes seminars, key meetings, a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development and an exhibition.
CWA was conceptualised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) as a facility to place agriculture and rural life on the front burner of regional integration activities and in doing so enable:
Key decision-makers in the public and private sectors to better acknowledge the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social, and environmental stability of the region; and
Major stakeholders in agriculture and related sectors to have an opportunity to dialogue and forge a common vision for the repositioning of agriculture and the enhancement of rural life.
CWA is convened under the auspices of the Alliance for Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu (The Alliance). Since the inaugural meeting in 1998, the two main collaborating agencies were IICA and the CARICOM Secretariat.
In 2002, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute joined IICA and CARICOM to establish a core group which functions as the Secretariat of The Alliance. Since then, the four agencies have collaborated on the management and logistics for the convening and servicing of meetings of The Alliance as well as the myriad of activities during the CWA. The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, which was a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the European Union from 1983 – 2020, was a major partner and sponsor of the CWA activities from 2003.
The first CWA was held in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999. St Kitts and Nevis hosted the 2025 CWA under the theme ‘Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond’. In 2026, Jamaica will host the CWA. The theme of this milestone 20th edition is ‘The New F.A.C.E of Caribbean Food Systems’.
Community, religious, women and youth leaders have a critical role in building trust, addressing concerns and ensuring that response measures reflect local realities
KINSHASA, DRC – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for an urgent scale-up of the community-led Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with stronger early detection, contact follow up, access to care, support for frontline health workers and faster delivery of resources to affected communities.
The call followed a joint high-level mission to Uganda and DRC on 4 and 5 August, which drew lessons from Uganda’s successful containment of local transmission, assessed operational challenges in Bunia and brought the priorities of communities and frontline responders into high-level discussions with national leaderships in Kinshasa.
The mission was led by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, and Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa.
With visits in Kampala, Bunia and Kinshasa, members of the delegation met national and provincial authorities, response coordinators, health workers, community representatives and partners. The mission assessed progress, identified critical operational gaps and brought the concerns of affected communities and frontline teams directly to national leadership.
Uganda shows that containment is possible
In Kampala, the delegation engaged with national authorities and response teams following Uganda’s declaration of the end of its outbreak on 28 July 2026.
Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. All previously listed contacts completed follow-up.
Africa CDC and WHO commended Uganda’s leadership and the work of health workers, communities and partners. The country’s experience demonstrated the importance of early detection, rapid contact tracing, coordinated national action, trusted community engagement and strong cross-border surveillance.
The organisations stressed that preparedness must be maintained. Continued transmission in the DRC means neighbouring countries remain at risk and must sustain surveillance, laboratory readiness and cross-border coordination.
Communities at the centre in Bunia
The delegation then travelled to Bunia, in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the outbreak.
It met provincial authorities, national and provincial response teams, frontline health workers, community representatives and partners supporting the response. The delegation also visited the Rwangole Ebola Treatment Centre and assessed its readiness to expand access to timely, quality care.
The field visit reinforced a central conclusion of the mission: containing and stopping the outbreak will depend on communities.
People must receive clear information from voices they know and trust. They must be able to recognise symptoms, report alerts early and seek care without fear. Communities must be directly involved in surveillance, referrals, treatment, safe and dignified burials and decisions affecting their families.
Community, religious, women and youth leaders have a critical role in building trust, addressing concerns and ensuring that response measures reflect local realities.
The delegation recognised the courage of communities and health workers operating under extremely difficult conditions, including insecurity, population movement, poor road access, misinformation and severe pressure on health services.
It also heard directly about the barriers slowing the response, including delayed detection, limited access to care, resistance to some response activities, shortages of essential supplies and insufficient support for frontline teams.
Ituri accounts for nearly 90 percent of confirmed cases in the DRC, with Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu health zones among the most affected.
Response operations must match the pace of transmission
As of 4 August 2026, the DRC had reported 3973 confirmed cases, 1801 deaths and 776 recoveries across 51 health zones in five provinces.
In the latest 24-hour reporting period, the country recorded 99 new confirmed cases and 52 deaths.
Contact follow-up stood at 75 percent, below the operational target of at least 95 percent required to identify transmission chains rapidly and ensure that new cases are detected among known contacts.
A total of 674 people were under care. Treatment-centre occupancy in North Kivu had reached 139 percent, placing severe pressure on available beds, health workers and response operations.
Africa CDC and WHO called for immediate action to:
Identify cases earlier and raise daily contact follow-up to at least 95 percent;
Bring testing, referral, isolation and treatment services closer to affected communities;
Urgently expand treatment, laboratory, ambulance and safe and dignified burial capacity;
Protect, equip, support and pay frontline health workers on time;
Strengthen infection prevention and control in health facilities;
Maintain essential health services for affected communities;
Improve secure access to areas affected by insecurity and poor infrastructure;
Work through trusted community leaders at every stage of the response;
Sustain cross-border surveillance and regional preparedness; and
Ensure that committed financing reaches frontline operations without delay.
Field findings brought to national leadership in Kinshasa
The mission concluded in Kinshasa with meetings with the president of the Republic and members of Government.
Dr Tedros, Dr Kaseya and Dr Janabi, discussed the findings from Kampala and Bunia with national authorities and partners.
The discussions focused on government leadership, stronger operational coordination, community engagement, support for health workers, access to affected areas, continuity of essential health services and the rapid deployment of additional capacity and financing.
The principals reaffirmed their support for a government-led and nationally-coordinated response bringing together national and provincial authorities, Africa CDC, WHO, humanitarian and development partners, health workers and communities.
“In some areas of eastern DRC, the Ebola outbreak is outpacing our response, making it imperative that we rapidly scale up every aspect of our efforts to contain it,” said Dr Tedros. “We stand in solidarity with the government, affected communities, and the courageous health workers serving under exceptionally difficult circumstances. But this must be backed by sustained commitment, greater resources, and stronger international support. Together, we must guarantee safe access for responders, protect civilians and health workers, and mobilise the support needed to end this outbreak and save lives.”
“Containing and ultimately stopping this outbreak will come from communities,” said Dr Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC. “When people have information they trust, can report symptoms early and seek care without fear, we can break every chain of transmission. Our responsibility is to bring the response closer to communities and give frontline teams the support they need.”
Africa CDC and WHO reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the government of the DRC and affected communities through one coordinated response.
Both organisations will continue to deploy technical expertise, strengthen regional preparedness and mobilise the resources required to interrupt transmission and protect lives.
Africa CDC and WHO continue to advise against unnecessary restrictions on travel or trade. Countries should instead strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, preparedness and cross-border coordination.
KIGALI, Rwanda — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the African School of Governance (ASG), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), has concluded the five-day launch and induction of the African Academy for Women in Political Leadership, held in Kigali from 3 to 7 August 2026.
The Academy’s inaugural cohort of 40 women political leaders, selected from more than 1,300 applications across 28 African countries and the Caribbean, brings together cabinet ministers, parliamentarians, mayors, governors, senators, political party leaders and aspiring young women. More than 60 percent come from countries scheduled to hold presidential or parliamentary elections within the next two years, placing the Academy’s executive training programme directly into live campaigns, legislatures and cabinets.
The Academy was officially launched on 3 August in the presence of representatives of the government of Rwanda, former heads of state and government, ministers, parliamentarians, development partners, academia, private sector, civil society organisations and media.
“Participating in this academy is an opportunity to network with each other, to learn from each other, to teach each other, to validate your already known and experienced practices, but most importantly, to create a network of support that is going to have a lifelong impact in your careers,” said Francis Gatare, president, African School of Governance.
The launch of the Academy represents a strategic investment in Africa’s democratic future. It places women political leaders at the centre of strengthening African institutions, deepening democratic governance and advancing peace, security and sustainable development across the continent.
“Today marks much more than the inauguration of another institution. It represents a defining moment in the evolution of the African Women Leaders Network,” said H.E. Bineta Diop, co-convenor, African Women Leaders Network. “For years, we have advocated for women’s leadership. Today, we move decisively from advocacy to implementation,” she added.
On the margins of the academy launch, UNDP and the African School of Governance Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build a continent-wide ecosystem for women’s transformative leadership in Africa. The five-year framework establishes cooperation on governance, including to support women in political leadership through the African Academy for Women in Political Leadership, launched this week; to reach women leaders across the continent; to create learning opportunities for Africa Young Women Leaders (AfYWL) fellows; to build alumni networks contributing to Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); to engage national women’s networks and political forums; and to adapt leadership training to local contexts and languages.
The Academy’s curriculum confronts the barriers that keep capable women out of office, including the cost of politics. Alongside political leadership, coalition-building, communications and ethical leadership, the programme imparts direct knowledge of campaign financing.
“We must not only count the women who enter politics but, more importantly, count the women who hold real influence once they are there. Capable women are stopped not for want of talent, but for want of money, of protection, of coalition. On this continent, it can cost an average of USD 40,000 to contest a parliamentary seat,” said Dr Jide Okeke, director, UNDP Regional Programme for Africa. “This Academy teaches campaign financing without apology, alongside legislative craft, coalition-building, communications and ethical leadership. Anyone who declines to teach women about raising money has already decided who is going to lose,” he added.
One of the most significant features of the Academy is its deliberate investment in emerging leaders. By bringing together experienced and emerging leaders, this Academy recognises that leadership is strengthened through intergenerational exchange.
“The question is no longer whether African women are ready to lead. History has already answered that question. The real question is whether our institutions are prepared to fully recognise, support and benefit from that leadership,” said H.E. Amb. Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security. “The African Union is a ready partner. We are committed to working strongly to reflect this important shift from advocating for women’s participation to deliberately building the pipeline of capable, ethical and transformative women in leadership,” he added.
Over five days, the cohort worked through the Academy’s opening modules — the history of African women’s political authority; money, power and political financing; narrative, visibility and political communication; coalitions, parties and institutions; and leadership resilience — delivered through practitioner-led workshops, experience-sharing sessions, clinics and peer exchange.
Highlights of the week included an extended conversation between the cohort and H.E. Sahle-Work Zewde, former president of Ethiopia; H.E. Catherine Samba-Panza, former president of the Central African Republic; H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, former chairperson of the African Union Commission; Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé, former prime minister of the Republic of Togo; and Lamein Blanchette, speaker of parliament of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The programme also featured a high-level dialogue with Justice Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, chief justice of the Republic of Rwanda; a virtual engagement with H.E. Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Secretary-General’s special adviser on Africa; and a reflective visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, examining the consequences of failed leadership and the role of visionary leadership and reconciliation in rebuilding a nation.
The residential week in Kigali opens a four-week programme. The cohort now continues with three weeks of online learning, structured mentorship and sister circles, followed by sustained alumni engagement designed to keep the network active through campaigns, legislative terms and public office.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – As the nation marks 64 years of Independence amid ongoing post-Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts, prime minister, Andrew Holness, has called on Jamaicans to unite behind what he describes as the first major national rebuilding initiative of the country’s post-Independence era.
“Since Independence, successive governments have built important highways, housing developments, schools, hospitals, water systems, and public facilities. But never in our independent history have we attempted a single, coordinated, island-wide programme of reconstruction and resilience on the scale and pace now before us,” he said in his Independence Day Message.
The coordinated reconstruction effort will be spearheaded by the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), under the leadership of chief executive officer, ambassador Major General (Ret’d) Antony Anderson.
Acknowledging the extensive damage inflicted by hurricane Melissa on homes, schools, roads, bridges, water systems, farms and businesses across the country, prime minister Holness commended the resilience, determination and community spirit displayed by Jamaicans in the face of the crisis.
“Even in the most difficult hours, we saw the true character of Jamaica: neighbours helping neighbours, public servants working beyond the call of duty, members of the security forces restoring access and order, churches and voluntary organisations providing relief, and Jamaicans at home and abroad giving generously,” he recounted.
Prime Minister Holness emphasised that the task ahead is not simply to rebuild, but to build a stronger, more resilient Jamaica that can better withstand future shocks, while fostering confidence in the country’s future and inspiring the next generation.
The prime minister noted that, through NaRRA, the government is establishing the capacity to coordinate, finance and deliver reconstruction on a scale unprecedented in Jamaica since Independence.
“NaRRA will be an instrument of disciplined national action. It will cut through fragmentation. It will prepare sound projects. It will enforce standards, and it will protect the public purse. It will also ensure that works are completed properly, efficiently and transparently,” Holness affirmed, while emphasising that the reconstruction effort is being guided by a national vision to reduce vulnerability, unlock new areas for development, strengthen rural communities, revitalise towns and cities, and build on the strong foundation already established for sustained economic growth.
“But renewal on this scale asks something of every one of us. It asks for respect for law and order, for protection of public property, for honest work, for fiscal discipline, and for strong families and communities that refuse to surrender their future to criminals and disorder,” the prime minister maintained. He cautioned that every dollar wasted represents a missed opportunity to repair a road, rebuild a classroom, or strengthen a vulnerable water system.
“Every act of corruption steals from the Jamaican people… every delay caused by indiscipline postpones the future we are building. We must therefore demand high standards from government, contractors, institutions, and from ourselves,” Holness stated. He urged Jamaicans to reject the notion that the country is too small, too divided or too constrained to achieve transformational change, and called on the present generation to honour the legacy of their forebears, who overcame much greater challenges with far fewer resources.
“Their courage gave us freedom… our duty is to use that freedom wisely. Let this generation be remembered as the generation that secured Jamaica’s future… that rebuilt stronger, modernised the country, restored confidence in national institutions, and created new possibilities for every parish and every community,” prime minister Holness stated.
Cyber-criminality has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem
LYON, France – Artificial intelligence is enabling 55 percent of reported cybercrimes across Africa making attacks faster, more scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect, according to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026.
With more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers recorded in 2025, Africa’s digital transformation is expanding rapidly.
However, cybercrime legislation is fragmented and AI readiness in law enforcement agencies remains alarmingly low.
The 40-page report draws on survey data from 36 African member countries and highlights a defining shift: cyber-criminality has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialised, borderless ecosystem.
Cyberthreat landscape
East Africa emerged as a hub of mobile money fraud and infrastructure-targeted ransomware.
Business email compromise and romance scams targeting both corporate and individual victims were prolific in Central and West Africa.
Southern Africa’s ultra-high connectivity makes it a magnet for global threat actors seeking maximum disruption.
The financial toll of cybercrime in Africa is significant.
Since 2024, cybercrime-related losses have more than doubled, from USD 192 million to USD 484 million, driven primarily by AI-facilitated scams, credential harvesting, and automated social engineering campaigns.
According to the report, in 2025, online scams continued to be the most reported type of cybercrime, with attackers leveraging mobile money platforms, social media and AI to reach their targets.
Notably, 72 percent of surveyed countries reported the presence of scam centres, with the highest concentration in Southern and West Africa.
AI-enabled cyberthreats
Digital sextortion and online harassment, often facilitated by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media, remained pervasive, with some 600,000 sextortion detections recorded by TrendAI, one of several partners working with INTERPOL.
Similarly, the sophistication of Business E-Mail Compromise (BEC) schemes increased dramatically, with AI used to generate highly convincing e-mail correspondence, with Africa-based threat actors targeting victims in Europe and North America using infrastructure located across multiple jurisdictions.
The report reveals that the absence of real-time, inter-agency data sharing between banks, telecoms and law enforcement creates a dangerous blind spot in efforts to combat financial fraud.
This vulnerability is being exploited by criminals who have moved beyond simply stealing existing credentials to creating entirely synthetic identities.
Combining real personal data with fabricated elements, these AI-generated digital personas can bypass even advanced biometric verification systems and have been used to open bank accounts, secure mobile loans and register SIM cards under false names.
On the frontlines of cybercrime
Neal Jetton, director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime unit said:
“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region. AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled.”
Meaningful transnational progress is visible. In 2025, 17 countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation, including the launch of an online reporting platform in Senegal aimed at enhancing the response to online violations affecting children.
At the same time, regionally coordinated capacity building initiatives continue to strengthen long-term cyber resilience.
Operational cooperation is also delivering noteworthy results.
In its recommendations, the report calls for standardised digital forensic capabilities, enhanced cross-border cooperation, investment in AI literacy among law enforcement officers and formal-public private partnership to support effective prevention, detection and response.
INTERPOL’s Africa Cyberthreat Assessment is part of the Organisation’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The assessment benefited from data contributed by partners Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados –TAKE NOTICE that the Central Bank of Barbados (“the Bank”), in exercise of its powers under section 59 of the Financial Institutions Act, Cap. 324A (“the FIA”), and having notified the Minister of Finance, has seized the management and control of Zeemoney (Barbados) Limited (“Zeemoney”) with effect from the date of issuance of this Notice.
Grounds
This action is taken on the following grounds:
To protect the creditors of Zeemoney;
It is unlikely that Zeemoney can meet its financial obligations; and
Zeemoney has not maintained high standards of financial probity or is not following sound business practices.
Effect of this notice
With effect from the date of this notice:
The powers of the directors, officers, and management of Zeemoney to manage or deal with the business, affairs, or assets of the company are suspended, and those functions are vested in the Bank and in the persons authorised by the Bank for that purpose.
No director, officer, employee, or agent of Zeemoney shall exercise any power, enter into any transaction, dispose of or deal with any asset, make any payment, or access any system or record of the Company, except as expressly authorised in writing by the bank or its authorised persons.
The suspension of Zeemoney’s licensed business, including all money or value transmission services, remains in full effect. The bank intends to apply to the High Court for the compulsory winding-up of Zeemoney.
Customers and creditors
Customers and other persons with claims against Zeemoney should retain all records relating to their accounts, transactions or claims. The bank will provide further information on the process for verifying balances and submitting claims as the resolution process progresses. No person should make any new payment to Zeemoney or act on any payment or refund instruction unless expressly authorised by the Central Bank of Barbados.
Queries
All queries concerning this notice should be submitted by email to enforcement@centralbank.org.bb. Dated this 17th day of August, 2026.
BOGOTA, Colombia (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), is providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities to support the health response following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10.
Since the onset of the emergency, PAHO/WHO has maintained close coordination with the ministry of health and social protection, the national institute of health, and departmental and local authorities to support health needs assessments, identify priority needs, and help ensure the continuity of essential health services in the areas most affected by the earthquake.
Preliminary assessments indicate damage to health facilities in several departments, including Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, Cauca, and Quindío. Reported impacts include structural and non-structural damage to hospitals and clinics, as well as damage to water storage and supply systems that could affect the operation of some health services. Authorities continue to verify and update information as assessments progress.
PAHO/WHO has deployed teams to Cali and Chocó, including specialists in emergency coordination and response, epidemiology, health services, information management, and communications.
The Organisation has also strengthened coordination with humanitarian organisations and other health sector partners through the Colombia Health Cluster, the mechanism that coordinates the humanitarian health response. As part of these efforts, PAHO/WHO requested a rapid mapping of available capacities among partners and convened an extraordinary meeting to review the situation and agree on priority actions.
Technical cooperation also includes support for health damage and needs assessments; the mobilisation of teams in coordination with health authorities; the deployment of specialists to assess hospitals and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions; and the deployment of medical teams to help sustain health services in affected communities.
In the affected areas, PAHO/WHO specialists are supporting health authorities in the assessment of hospitals and other health facilities, while helping strengthen local capacities for early recovery following disasters. These efforts are aimed at identifying the priority needs of health services.
“Our priority is to help ensure that affected communities continue to have access to essential health services while supporting authorities in identifying and addressing the most urgent needs,” said Dr Ana Rivière Cinnamond, PAHO/WHO representative in Colombia. “PAHO/WHO is working closely with the ministry of health, local health teams, and partners to support the response and help protect the health of affected communities.”
Dr Rivière Cinnamond met with minister of health and social protection Ana María Vesga and other health authorities to review the health situation and coordinate response activities.
Damage and needs assessments remain underway in the affected areas as national and local authorities continue to lead response operations.
Some gravediggers in Trinidad tend to be somewhat loud, angry and difficult. Without a six-foot deep hole in the cemetery, no coffin could be lowered for burial. There was this time that two gravediggers demanded a bottle of spirituous liquor from the undertaker. While walking away, the undertaker told them, “Doh dig nutten.” He assumed that the belligerent gravediggers would have understood that their bottle of rum would be sure. When the undertaker returned with the corpse, he saw the two fellows idly leaning on a tomb with their digging implements at their side. Astonishingly, he asked the two gravediggers: “Where is the hole for this coffin?” They replied, “Ent yuh tell we doh dig nutten?”
Against this well-worn statement, “Doh dig nutten,” my objective is to portray Trinidad and Tobago as the most doh dig nutten place in the world. I don’t know if any other Caribbean country has this ‘trait.’ In Trinidad and Tobago , doh dig nutten could be translated as, ‘Doh worry nah,’ ‘Take it easy nah man,’ ‘Doh beat up,’ ‘Wuh yuh getting on so for?’ ‘Wuh yuh quarrelling so for?’
Despite the fact that governments come and governments go, things tend to remain the same, especially when members of a new political party are sworn in as leaders in parliament. These new members of parliament would constantly blame the opposition for squandering taxpayers’ money. They would swear by all the gods of heaven that there is no money in the treasury and chide the other side with what’s inside their chalices of corruption, chaos and confusion. As one politician said, the whole day is “…yeng, yeng, yeng.” Nevertheless, doh dig nutten…take it easy nah, we go fix everything bhai.
Johnny Coomansingh
Now let me be clear. Since I was five years old, the citizens of this country have been pleading and begging the governments, every one of them, for a regular potable supply of water. A few lines from the lyrics of my calypso titled ‘No Water’ will elucidate my sentiments:
“Mih toilet ah cannot flush…No water!
Look ah have tuh use di bush…No water!
No water tuh make some tea…No water!
No water, ah cannot pee…No water!
So ah ask tantie Kamla tuh fire the minister
And all dem big boys up in WASA.
Dey say ah smelling stink…No water!
Mih life is on the brink…No water!
Ah cannot brush mih teeth…No water!
Dem tong gyul ah cannot meet…No water!
All rong mih mouth is wahpia, like ah went and wuk obeah
Is nutten more than ah disaster.”
Take a close look at this excerpt of what I wrote and published in Caribbean News Global “Coughing Spigots” –
“In 1995 I left the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (PETROTRIN). I studied in the state of Kansas for eight years, and there was not one day that I heard a coughing spigot. Not one day! Kansas is in the rainshadow of the Rocky Mountains, a place that is arid: “…where the skies are not cloudy all day.” We even had a swimming pool in our backyard. The area of Kansas is 80,000 square miles. Trinidad is a dot on the map with about 2000 square miles. It means that Trinidad could fit into Kansas 40 times. So why is Trinidad and Tobago in such dry and dire straits? I moved from Kansas and then to Missouri, no problem with water. I went up to North Dakota, no problem. I lived in Delaware and still no problem. I guess Trinidad and Tobago is now relegated to fourth or fifth world status because of the unreliability of a daily potable water supply. Many would want to argue that our country is a rainbow country, a land of festivals, a location on the map where wining and jammin’ is never in short supply, and that “God is ah Trini” with more hoopla than we could take. I have come to terms with the eternal and everlasting problem. WASA continues to advertise, “Take Shorter Showers,” but if there is no water, if our spigots are constantly coughing, WASA should focus on a ‘Doh Bathe’ philosophy.”
Trinidad and Tobago is in Amazonia, a rainforest-type climate, where rain falls to flood the country several times over, yet many are there that would like a couple drops of that water. ‘Mister parliamentarian,’ don’t tell me that things eh so bad. Don’t tell me that things could be worse. Don’t tell me that we have to ration the water because we are in the ‘dry season.’ Don’t tell me ‘El Nino’ is here. A senator recently inferred that there is enough rainfall in Diego Martin to flood the whole of Trinidad. He said that we have to seriously look at the collection, storage, and distribution of our water, but doh dig nutten, hold strain ah little nah…we go fix dat!
I did not want to get into this diatribe, but the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) keeps digging! The mantra is doh dig nutten, but WASA is ah ‘tattoo’ (armadillo). It could be that WASA has to dig, but why the hell can they not fix the damn road after their digging activities?
On matters concerning the deplorable nature of our roads, how long should we, the citizens, wait before our roads are of the quality suitable for good and peaceful driving? Note carefully, Trinidad and Tobago has 99 acres of asphalt! We have all kinds of road-building materials in this little country, including pitrun gravel, washed gravel, quartz, bluestone, dolomite, red sand, and white sand, yet we suffer; there is an infestation of potholes, lumps, bumps and humps everywhere! The leaders then tell us, especially on the election hustings, that they will make sure we get good roads.
One day before the April 28, 2025 general elections, the then government cut ribbons to open the Elmina Clarke-Allen Highway. This highway is far from being complete. They made us understand that the highway, like the ANR Robinson airport terminal in Tobago and the addition of the 12-storey Central Block of the Port of Spain General Hospital were “practically complete.” What a crock of horse manure! Once again, doh dig nutten…wait and grind ah little nah.
While we are waiting on the roads to be fixed, our health system is in shambles! There is some real bacchanal occurring with regard to the registration of 365 pharmaceuticals with only one recorded instance of the Drug Advisory Committee (DAC) being involved. Verdel Bishop in her Daily Express (August 06, 2026) article, ‘So no one knows how these 365 pharmaceuticals were registered,’ reported:
“The issue surfaced during the 12th meeting of Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) yesterday, which examined the State’s acquisition of pharmaceuticals and the processes governing their importation and approval…Committee chairman, Jagdeo Singh, questioned officials on how hundreds of pharmaceuticals could have been registered without what he described as the statutory body responsible for guiding the approval process… He added that some pharmaceuticals, which were allowed into the country through special permission, were never registered. ‘What is even more alarming to me…is that some of them were permitted to be imported by way of special permit; we now realise that some of them were never registered and have not been registered up to today,’ he said.”
Much more than that, the hospitals in Trinidad and Tobago need serious attention. Sometimes there are no beds for patients, no medicines, delayed X-rays, MRI and CT Scans. Appointments for specialist care are distant. It takes months that morph into years for cataract surgery. The lines are long, and waiting on care seems like forever. If you don’t have money to pay for private medical practice, then heaven help you. By now, everyone understands the doh dig nutten mantra in the health system.
Business entrepreneurs continue to be unscrupulous. Sometimes there are no price tags to identify the real price of items on the shelf. Rotten produce, for example, avocado, are packaged and sold. Customers lose their precious dollars every day! In the most subtle ways, prices keep going up and up but doh dig nutten because citizens have no choice but to accept the crimes committed by the groceries.
On the ever-present subject of crime and criminal activities, Trinidad and Tobago will never heal! In a place where racial discrimination is rife, could there ever be peace and safety? There is a long-standing war between the two dominant races that is politically stoked. I believe that this war will never end. Home invasions, auto theft, banditry in all its forms, gun slinging and daily murders continue.
Last night, Ian Alleyne’s Crime Watch reported 232 murders to date. Law adding citizens live in fear. Nevertheless, doh dig nutten because 30 new ‘mobile’ police posts are being installed at strategic points throughout Trinidad and Tobago to help quiet the crime. But wait! It’s not one or two or even three police officers that are presently on suspension for who knows what. There are over 250 officers on suspension right now! Even members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF) are sometimes caught engaged in illicit activities.
Cleaning up Trinidad and Tobago is a Herculean task. Both the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and TTDF) need to be purged. I challenge anyone if they could find enough ‘Senna and Epsom salts’ to clean the Augean Stables of the protective services. I guess everyone knows that there is an ‘Environment Management Authority (EMA) in Trinidad and Tobago. Maybe it’s an armchair authority. Is such an authority actually on the ground seeing what is happening all over Trinidad? I don’t have to read and spell for the EMA, but I look at the mess we have on our beaches, roads, verges, rivers, waterways, and drains.
Last Sunday, August 09, my birthday, I went to Manzanilla Beach just after the Nariva River mouth. The seawall walkway was full of litter, beer bottles, and miscellaneous plastic ‘bottles.’ The garbage containers were overflowing. Almost everywhere was littered with garbage, plastic bottles, beer bottles and trash! Again, it’s possible that the citizens would like a la basse everywhere they go. Maybe the EMA is saying doh dig nutten because the heavy rains and floods will eventually wash everything out and deposit the trash on the seashore.
What can I say again? I could cry blood but the government would tell me doh dig nutten. Live with it. Live with the crime, road hogs, hate, garbage, destruction of our environment, squatting, malfeasance in public office, poor service at banks and public institutions, corruption, nepotism, and all the noise around. Don’t complain. Don’t even try to explain. Try to close your eyes. Stuff your ears with cotton buds or earplugs. Believe what Bob Marley said: “Everything gonna be alright,” and doh dig nutten. It dey, dey good so.
