And I also saw that Mr Israel Khan SC had written to Queen Elizabeth II stating that Her Majesty and the Parliament of Britain should offer a sincere apology for the British participation in the enslavement of Africans and should apologise to Africa and the African diaspora throughout the world for the cruelties that Britain inflicted upon the enslaved Africans.

As the incumbent head of the Trinidad and Tobago National Committee on Reparations (TT NCR), I had written to the media on a prior occasion about the indifferent attitude toward the committee that has come from the Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, the Honourable Senator Dennis Moses, under whose responsibility the TT NCR falls.

Just recently, on Friday 28, July I delivered a letter to the Honourable Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley seeking a meeting with him regarding the status of the committee.

I stated that the TT NCR is a Cabinet-appointed committee, established following the collective agreement at the Conference of Heads of Caricom, held in Port of Spain in July 2013.

In addition, I informed the Prime Minister that the matter of reparations was tabled recently at the recent 38th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community held in Grenada from July 4-6. And I quoted a statement captioned “Reparations for Native Genocide and Slavery” which was included in the Communique released at the conclusion of the Conference.

It is very inspiring to read in President Carmona’s press release that ,“Trinidad and Tobago should support the efforts of Caricom governments as expressed by Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Chairman of the Caricom Reparations Commission, in an address to the British House of Commons on July 16, 2014”.

The President’s release added, “As a former judge and a firm believer in reparatory justice, I am of the view that as we celebrate Emancipation Day 2017, we must examine affirmatively the case for reparations as adopted by Caricom governments and advocated by Sir Hilary and other spokespersons”.

“We in TT must view the call for reparations in the context of the duty we owe to our forefathers who made the ultimate sacrifice and whose contribution to our present well-being must be recognised in a world which now accepts that compensation and reparation are prerequisites in the dispensation of justice”.

What is thought-provoking in Mr Israel Khan’s letter is that the attorney has referenced the very first item on the 10 point Plan of Action of the Caricom Reparations Commission’s strategy for Reparatory Justice captioned “Full Formal apology” which says: “The healing process for victims and the descendants of the enslaved and enslavers requires as a precondition the offer of a sincere formal apology by the governments of Europe”.

“Some governments in refusing to offer an apology have issued in place Statements of Regrets. Such statements do not acknowledge that crimes have been committed and represent a refusal to take responsibility for such crimes”.

“Statements of regrets represent, furthermore, a reprehensible response to the call for apology in that they suggest that victims and their descendants are not worthy of an apology”.

“Only an explicit formal apology will suffice within the context of the CARICOM Reparatory Justice Programme”.” Notwithstanding their support I wish to remind President Carmona as well as Mr Khan that the mandate of the Caricom Reparations Commissions also includes reparations for the First Peoples.

Aiyegoro Ome Mt Lambert

Attorneys for two of the men – led by attorney Wayne Sturge – are expected to file an application seeking to have the protracted magisterial proceedings stayed on the grounds of abuse of process, while attorneys for the other three are expected to file an application calling on the High Court to review a delay by the Director of Public Prosecutions to give a decision on the way forward in the prosecution of the cases. Attorney Joseph Sookoo who held for Sturge, yesterday informed acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle Caddle that an application was expected to be filed to have the protracted inquiry stayed on the grounds of abuse of process and delay.

Attorney Criston J Williams, who appeared for the three other accused, also intends to file a separate action but told Earle Caddle he is still awaiting a response from DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, on a letter sent in May, suggesting Gaspard bypass the preliminary inquiry (PI) stage and send matters directly to the High Court or discontinue them altogether.

Chicki Portello, Kareem Gomez, Levi Joseph, Anthony Charles and Israel “Arnold” Lara are charged with murder and are before Earle Caddle in the Port of Spain Eighth Magistrates Court.

Williams has also quoted and forwarded correspondence from the Chief Justice’s Chambers to Law Association president Douglas Mendes, SC, on May 31, on the Ayers-Caesar matter and one day before a vote of no confidence in CJ Ivor Archie and the Judicial and Legal Service Commission members was passed by the association.

Addressing acting Chief Magistrate Earle Caddle yesterday, an attorney from the DPP’s office submitted that the DPP’s objection to her aborting the matters and order that they be restarted, was still being maintained.

The prosecutor added there was still no factual information on the former chief magistrate’s status and the DPP had formed the opinion that the public utterances on the issue were sufficient for him to invoke his powers under the Indictable Offences (Preliminary Enquiry) Act.

The matter was adjourned to August 29, when Earle Caddle said she expects to have an official response from the DPP on his position. She also informed Sookoo that his legal team had until that date to file whatever application they intended to in the High Court.

At yesterday’s hearing, the men maintained their silent protest by wearing matching black t-shirts with messages calling for their freedom written in white. Also wearing the same t-shirts were their family members who sat in the public gallery.

Ayers Caesar resigned as a judge on April 27 after she was elevated the high court on April 12. She has since filed a lawsuit against the State and the JLSC, claiming she did not resign voluntarily but was forced to do so because of the discrepancy in the number of part-heard matters she still had.

Set to launch this Saturday at Hollis Avenue, Arima, the programme dubbed, “A Day of Care” will focus on assisting the less fortunate of Arima in addition to providing opportunities for their betterment.

Planned activities on this day include free medical care for less fortunate individuals.

Councillor Brennan Patterson, one of the persons responsible for planning the event under the guise of Arima Mayor, Lisa Morris-Julian, said the project is aimed at mobilising participation in the Borough on a local government level.

Patterson also indicated that the project was structured on a volunteerism platform to ensure that it appeals to all burgesses of the Borough regardless of political affiliation.

Part of the initiative will also include school outreach programs so students at both the primary and tertiary level will have a greater appreciation for community service.

Planned projects under the initiative include but are not limited to; school visits, a cleanup of the Arima River and various educational lecturers.

The Arima Borough invites all members of the public to come out and support the launch this Saturday and further information can be obtained by contacting the Mayor’s office at 667- 3449.

While Trinidad’s Western Peninsula has a wealth of attractions, President of the Trinidad and Tobago In Coming Tour Operators (TTITOA), Lorraine Pouchet, thinks there should be more marketing to locals and tourists alike.

“There needs to be more promoted. We would like to partner more often with the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) to conduct tours and so on.”

Pouchet was speaking with Business Day while finalising a “Stay to Get Away 2017” tour of Gasparee Caves on the Island of Gaspar Grande.

This particular trip in late July is an example of the kind of partnership Pouchet is advocating. TTITOA; through its “Experience T&T” arm, has joined with the Tourism Ministry and, in this case, the CDA, to offer discounted tours from July 1 to August 31, 2017.

“One of the challenges TTITOA has had over the years is actually meeting with the bodies responsible for development of the area. However, I recently had a meeting with some senior personnel at the CDA,” Pouchet said.

“We are going to have on-going discussions on the way forward in marketing Chaguaramas and on how best we can achieve that, using what we have.”

Pouchet’s call to maximise limited resources was echoed by the CDA’s Acting General Manager (GM), Deowattee Dilraj Batoosingh.

Referring to the more than TT $100 million debt incurred by the previous CDA Board of Directors, the Acting GM said the CDA has been using its very limited funds to make improvements to the facilities under its management.

“I’ve instructed our maintenance crew to ensure the grass on the Chaguaramas Golf Course is maintained properly; this is the only public course in Trinidad, so that the public can have a better experience. Cleaner, better maintained sites would help us to attract more visitors, who would then spend money at our tenants’ businesses, which (augers well) for our ability to generate more revenue down the line if and when those tenants decide to expand.”

Dilraj Batoosingh also told Business Day that the CDA is working on several events which are aimed at earning revenue while highlighting all that the area has to offer.

First off the drawing board and into existence is the “CDA presents Junior Golf” which runs from August 10 to 24, 2017. Children between the ages of five to 17 will earn how to play golf and get a tour of the area, once they register with the CDA by August 7. There is a TT $300 registration fee.

The other upcoming event is “Spices, The Curry Festival”, which takes place on Saturday, August 12 along the Chaguaramas Boardwalk from 2 pm to 8 pm.

The Acting GM said admission would be free while each vendor, in addition to giving out samples, would be selling plates of food “at a modest price.”

There are however, certain things which the CDA has not been able to do or which it has had to

do one but at a time, “because any extra money that we do get thanks; to our cost cutting measures and rent collection drive, goes to pay our debts.”

Dilraj-Batoosingh made it clear however that the CDA’s staff “is very committed to getting things done with what little we do have.”

An example of this, she said, was how the CDA’s boat captain and its maintenance crew have been “fixing small things on our one fairly operational boat; the other needs substantial repairs.”

“If you see that boat today, as compared to what it was like last year, it’s looking a lot more polished now. We use that boat to patrol ‘down the islands’ to help ensure that visitors and those on a tour have properly registered with us and paid the relevant fees to be in the area.”

Dilraj Batoosingh lamented that not having the $100,000 needed to repair the other boat has affected the CDA’s ability to patrol the island as often as it would like to do so.

Hence the hosting of events like the two mentioned earlier.

The Acting GM plans to hold other events this Christmas, next Easter and so on, to help the CDA pay off its debts faster while earning money to improve and maintain the places and facilities under its purview.

She expressed confidence that this would lead to increased visitor numbers, as more people discover what Chaguaramas has to offer.

For more information on activities and tours in the area, visit the “What To Do” section of the CDA’s website, www.chaguaramas.com

It’s rents of some $2.3 to $2.4 million are outstripped by millions more in salary payments every month. These were among a litany of woes revealed at two starring appearances before a Joint Select Committee of Parliament earlier this year. Further, job cuts may be inevitable.

However, Deowattee Dilraj Batoosingh, Acting General Manager of the Authority said the prevailing attitude at the CDA is optimism.

The Authority is making a bid to make Chaguaramas a top of mind entertainment and leisure centre and wants to bring people back to the Northwest peninsula. In August, the CDA intends to host a Curry Festival.

““It is a big risk for us to revive the boardwalk again,” said Batoosingh, who revealed that the event is being put on with a limited budget. However, the Authority needs the revenues.

Batoosingh said she told staff, “Let’s give it our best shot. Even if we don’t get as many people as we would have liked, at least it is showing that we can do it.”

“We are hopeful we can turn things around despite the challenges.”

It certainly has the raw materials to do so. The area has a natural beauty rivalled by few places in the country as well as several sites of interest.

But the “challenges” are threatening to overwhelm the CDA.

For one thing, the development of Chaguaramas is predicated on a plan formulated in 1974. It is not the only plan for the area. There have been at least eight plans for land and economic use of the area. However, it is the only one that holds legal sway, a fact that has been the root of the CDA’s most recent controversy.

Several tenants had leases for development approved under the People’s Partnership administration using a draft 2015 development plan. That plan was never brought before Town and Country, the Parliament or Cabinet, making it invalid. Batoosingh said the Deputy PS of their line ministry revealed that they had never even seen it.

With their “approved” leases, investors would have gone ahead and started construction, only to be told to stop by the new PNM government.

“This administration, would have reviewed the plan and realised that the draft 2015 plan was not approved by the Parliament,” said Batoosingh, “The only alternative was to follow what was under the law, which is the 1974 development plan.”

She explained that the CDA was not opposed to development, in fact, it desperately needed it, but said the law must be followed. The law, was guiding what types of developments were being allowed. If a tenant’s development was in contravention, then their terms of occupation would be reviewed.

Batoosingh denied allegations of nepotism or favoritism in the selection of which developments were allowed and said that decisions were apolitical. It has also made use of legal counsel in making these choices.

“No determination has been made except for the waterpark and another development,” she said, “This would have been done by Cabinet. Some concessions were made. It wasn’t that the entire lease was approved.”

Business Day contacted planning minister under the People’s Partnership government, Dr Bhoe Tewarie, for this thoughts on the state of the CDA.

“When we demitted office in September 2015, we left Chaguaramas with a functioning Boardwalk in two phases. We left with the vendors booths completed and occupied by tenants. We had a tradition of activities and programmes that brought visitors and customers to the Boardwalk, which created more commerce in the area and which was supported by some entertainment.”

On the matter of the controversial leases, Tewarie continued, “We had signed a number of leases between 2012 and 2015 and private sector investments were flowing into Chaguaramas for various projects. Every lease that was signed after 2010, was superior in its value to the State, the Chaguaramas Development Authority and the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago than any lease signed prior to 2010 by a significant number of times. I am talking about the value. So the state was in a good position to capitalize on private sector investment, under lease terms that would have only appreciated over time in value and flow of funds to the CDA and we could have, by now, already have had the makings of an incipient, sustainable tourism and entertainment and leisure industry in Chaguaramas. I don’t understand or have a clue about what they are doing or their problem with anything we have done in Chaguaramas.”

Asked about the legality of the draft 2015 plan and the potential issues created by it if the CDA facts are accurate, Tewarie said, “That is what you call a distraction. It is a non-issue. It does not arise. How were all the leases signed prior to 2010 and does that mean that leases signed under 2010 came under a different jurisdiction from those leases that were signed before? It is a red herring. It is pure stupidity parading as rationality.”

Much of the CDA’s own attempts at development meanwhile, lie in limbo.

When questioned about the state of parts the Boardwalk for example, Batoosingh said the Authority simply did not have the funds to do the required repair work.

Vending booths are not operational. The vendors complained that they were unusable. Further examination showed the electrical work was shoddy and needed re-doing.

Floorboards in Phase One need replacement. Batoosingh said it was likely they would have to pull up the whole thing to replace them, a costly undertaking.

“That represents a cost to us and we have explained before the JSC how dire our financial state (is), where we are barely earning revenue to cover salaries or major repair works along the peninsula.”

Despite this, she said the authority has been trying and has met with success in several areas. Repairs have already been completed on Phase Two and their facilities have been prepared for the July/August vacation season.

But how did the Authority find itself in this position?

Batoosingh attributed the Authority’s problems to a lack of “planning”.

She said, “You can’t run an organisation where your revenue is a certain level, you have to know that your expenses cannot be in excess of that.”

The race to shore up the Authority’s revenues is on.

It has been in discussions with the Tourism Ministry to become part of its ‘Staycation’ promotional programme. It has also re-entered a deal with PTSC to once again become part of the ‘Know Your Country’ tours.

The response to the Curry Festival has so far been favourable. Batoosingh said the event was fully booked and at least one well known entertainer has signed on to perform.

“We can’t be operating at a loss indefinitely. The best effort now is to get revenues up, which is what we are doing,” she said.

Regretful that she was not thorough and diligent about her representations, ashamed because her mistake was exposed and regret because of the loss of status as a judge.

It is a lesson to all who aspire to leadership , let not your ambition cloud your good judgement least your reputation fall into disrepute. It is obvious to me that ambition clouded her judgement and having been exposed is grounds for tears.

Satu-Ann I.Ramcharan Maraval

Business Day recently sat down with UPick’s General Manager, Lee- Anthony Walker and its Operations Manager, Verrick Jaundoo, to find out more about this and other initiatives being undertaken at the 100-acre farm.

Seated under the leafy shade provided by a large bamboo patch opposite the farm’s small retail space, Walker explained what inspired him to develop the concept of “Planting 101”.

“I was hired four months ago to promote the business more; I come from a background of managing night clubs and I own my own catering company. I spent the first three months observing the operation and one of the things I realised is that growing your own plants isn’t rocket science. Based on feedback, I decided we should start offering this as a new service.”

Walker would like to hold the first class later this month (August), provided certain logistics are worked out in the next two weeks or so.

He explained how “Planting 101” lessons would be broken down into simple terms and easy-to-follow steps, so that people don’t feel intimated.

“Anyone can participate, from children to senior citizens. We’re going to give you a pot, we’re going to teach you soil preparation – why, how it’s necessary, what kind of soil you use and why. Then we’re going to let you choose a seedling and you plant it in your pot. What we’re working out is if (training) would be every two weeks or every month because you’d have to bring your plant to each session; likely on a Saturday morning.”

Jaundoo added to that, telling Business Day that having your plant there is necessary “so that we can see if you’re learning, if you’re taking care of the plant properly. You can also compare your plant to your classmates’ and find out from them what they’re doing differently. This make things fun and interactive.”

The company stays connected with customers through its Facebook page; www.facebook.com/upicktt, where each week, it posts a list of the vegetables ready to be picked.

Walker said UPick’s mandate is that all activities/services there must be family-friendly. This includes the farm’s first-ever Halloween pumpkin-carving event in 2016. This actually came about due to customer demand; they had to import the variety of pumpkin most-suited to carving. UPick plans to hold another pumpkin-carving family day for Halloween this October.

That’s not all. UPick is working on a plan to hold star-gazing events, where an astronomer or someone equally knowledgeable “can tell people exactly what they’re looking at and how constellations got their names. We are an ideal location for this kind of thing because there are no artificial lights to (impede) your view of the night sky,” Walker said.

While most people know Chaguaramas for hiking, boat rides ‘down d islands’, its beaches and fetes at venues overlooking the water, UPick’s presence has attracted the agricultural-minded and those looking to get their vegetables as fresh as possible – picking it right off of the plant.

Jaundoo said their weekend clientele often includes families headed home after a “dip at Macqueripe Beach, hikers and bikers. We also get people who, from whatever reason, don’t reach the market and they’re looking to get some fresh produce.”

There are several restaurants and hotels dotted along the Western Peninsula. Walker added to Jaundoo’s point, telling Business Day that because UPick harvests each week’s crop on a Thursday, “chefs who work in the area; and a few from outside, stop by on Thursday afternoons. As we add more items that you don’t usually get in Trinidad, more chefs are coming to us. Meanwhile, we tend to get more elderly people coming by on Saturdays and Sundays.”

The farm also gets lots of school tours. Jaundoo shared that students from urban areas are usually surprised to learn where their food comes from.

“When they see bodi growing on the vine and not in a bundle on a grocery shelf, they’re stunned. Some children have also seen tomatoes growing on the plant and called them apples. So, what we’re doing here is serving to educate some children about the food chain.”

Speaking about their adult customers, Jaundoo told Business Day that people who come from an agricultural background “tend to come here for our sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, jalapeños, red ochro, purple sweet pepper and now, asparagus – ‘exotic’ items that you don’t typically find in the market.”

He explained that while UPick grows some of the popular local crops – baigan, bodi and ochro to name a few; because customers are going to want to pick what they commonly eat, the farm doesn’t want to compete with local farmers.

Hence the focus on the aforementioned ‘exotic’ items. This includes baigan varieties not typically grown here. Namely the Star Light which is short, round and dark purple in colour, and the Japanese variety which is long, thin and light purple in colour.

UPick currently sells local honey but it plans to start offering its own honey too in the coming months. The apiary was set up in early June at the far end of the farm; beyond the acres of sweet corn.

“We have honey ready to take out but because of the recent heavy rains, the bees haven’t really been able to venture into the bushes to get nectar. So, we left the honey for them to feed on in the meantime but as soon as the weather improves, we will harvest our honey. Likely at the end of August into September. Selling our own honey was one of the owner’s (Joseph ‘Joe’ Pires) ideas. He wanted to add honey because Tucker Valley is known to produce some of the best honey (due to) the nutmeg trees and other flowering plants which make for good quality honey,” Jaundoo said.

UPick’s prices are lower than in your typical supermarket but a little higher than in the market. Walker said he has started stocking ground provisions and plantain in their retail store because those customers who don’t reach the market have been asking for potatoes, yam, et cetera.

“On a Thursday morning, I go up to the Farmers’ Market in Macoya and purchase those items that we don’t grow, so that our customers can do their ‘Sunday market’ here if they haven’t reached the market yet. This allows them to save a trip to the grocery and to save some money in the process because our prices would be closer to that of the market than what supermarkets would charge.”

Walker was keen to point out that he buys locally grown provisions et cetera “because we want to support local farmers. At the end of the day, we’re all farmers.

The farm originally opened from Tuesday to Sunday, 7 am to 2 pm. While its opening hours remain the same, due to visitor habits, UPick is now open from Thursday to Sunday.

UPick opened on August 8, 2015. It is operated by Chaguaramas Farms Limited (ChagFarms), which signed a 30-year lease with the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA). ChagFarms is a subsidiary of Caribbean Chemicals and Agencies Limited, whose Managing Director is Pires.

Oxford Business Group reported that at a conference titled “Internet of Things: Smarter Living in the Caribbean”, the Minister of Public Administration and Communications, Maxie Cuffie, declared that a new broadband strategy aimed at widespread access to internet services was almost finalized. The hope is that if we were to increase the reach and speed, as well as the number of Wi-Fi-capable devices, then maybe we will see positive effects on the economy. Minister Cuffie stated that, “This level of potential connectivity presents, then, the perfect storm for the mushrooming of internet of things, and we believe that data is indeed the new oil”.

It would appear that data is seen as a diversification tool. Minister Cuffie added that developing broadband was part of a broader package that places emphasis on using Information Communication Technology (ICT) as an effective pathway of enabling fast and efficient distribution of public services, and inspiring business growth in an increasingly diverse economy. The government appears to be hoping that the private sector would continue to take the lead in internet and ICT development, with the government intending to increase its function as facilitator of development.

There is also the intention for the government to offer the population universal access to basic telecoms and broadcasting services, through a widened network of free Wi-Fi access points across the country. Gilbert Peterson, who is the chairman of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, revealed that there was a plan to deploy 45 Wi-Fi hotspots in public places across the country. These public spaces will include waiting areas at public hospitals, major transportation hubs, water taxi and ferry docking areas, and public libraries. He further added the intention to close the digital divide and “connect the unconnected” also includes plans to accelerate the licensing of frequencies called white-space devices, by September.

Oxford Business Group notes that this country’s efforts to move towards a more knowledge-based economy and fully connected society may have caught international interest. Amazon Web Services, appears to be looking at this country as a new market for expansion. Its representatives were in the country for three days in April, holding talks with both the government and businesses.

Other noteworthy developments include the state-owned service provider Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) announcing in early May a TT$225m ($33.5m) buyout of Massy Communications, part of the Massy Group, to increase the products consistent with the digital economy. This will give TSTT ownership of Massy’s existing fibre-to-the-home infrastructure, made up of more than 900 km of cable connecting approximately 34,000 residences.

Ronald Walcott, CEO of TSTT, said we must see the buyout “as part of TSTT’s current TT$3.8bn ($564m), five-year strategic plan. We clearly indicated we have one primary mandate and that is to transform TSTT from a legacy 20th-century telecoms provider, to an agile broadband communications company.”

Oxford Business Group holds the view that this country can benefit from a regional drive among CARICOM members to promote electronic cooperation. In May, CARICOM member- states approved the Integrated Work Plan for its Single ICT Space. Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General at CARICOM’s directorate for trade and economic integration, indicated that the programme would facilitate cooperation in digital management across key areas such as legislation and infrastructure.

It is generally agreed the diversifying this economy is critical for the future development of this economy. Where is the plan that spells out how this is envisaged?

Morris-Julian expressed her wish for the smoke ceremony to be moved to the site of the canon blast, where an access route will also be made, which will allow all persons to take part in the event.

She also pledged that her team would continue to work with the First Peoples Chief and Queen, to strengthen and build their vision of an Amerindian village Member of Parliament for Arima Anthony Garcia assured the First Peoples Community that the government recognises the First Peoples and will continue to do everything they can to ensure that the community has a place in society and their traditions are kept alive and respected.

He spoke on the importance of traditions as a binding agent in society, especially that of the canon blast and smoke ceremony.

“This particular tradition, we must keep as it binds us together and allows us to pay homage to our First Peoples.”

CARIRI and the CCIC have established a strong relationship that is built on both organizations’ desire for diversification and growth in the economy.

This particular session was geared towards promoting the intent of the CCIC to remain proactive in providing avenues for businesses in the Central area and this was the platform that CARIRI chose to promote two new initiatives geared toward assisting organisations.

The first is the Innovation Gap Analysis Programme (iGap) which is intended to identify and engage potential innovations in existing companies and will also address the need to develop a culture of Innovation in private sector enterprises, particularly SMEs. This initiative is based on the recognition that SMEs are particularly vulnerable to the rapidly changing dynamics of the international economic environment and, to remain competitive, these enterprises must keep their value proposition current, relevant and valuable to customers.

The Data Innovation Solutions Centre (DISC) is the second initiative. It involves Business Intelligence and Data Analytics which will use the respective organisations’ data to provide information that can assist in making more sustainable and innovative business decisions.

This session also facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CARIRI and exporTT. The signing of the MOU was witnessed by Senator Paula Gopee Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry.

This MOU will see greater collaboration between the two institutions; its general intent is to amalgamate the efforts of both parties by leveraging on the strengths and synergizing current projects/programmes.

Some of the aims of the MOU focus on the promotion of Data Analytics solutions, capitalizing on existing and upcoming technology and trade agreements, sharing of industry information on legal and regulatory developments, market intelligence and information on global trends as well as identification of expertise for advancement of local and regional skill sets, among a host of other initiatives.

CARIRI and exporTT have outlined as a priority, their commitment to the development of the local economy and maintain that more can be done together. Gopee Scoon commended both organizations for taking this initiative as she endorsed the collaboration. The signing of the MOU with exporTT and the collaboration with the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce opens a new world of possibilities that will translate into tangible offerings in the near future from all parties.