PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - A high-powered Africa meets the Caribbean trade mission kicks off next Tuesday in Jamaica, before heading to T&T the following Thursday. Theme of the mission is Social Changes: Catalyst for Regional Investment, Growth & Development and it is organised by UK-based Caribbean Enterprise Network UK (CENUK) in collaboration with its affiliate, Priority First UK Ltd.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago said it remains “cautiously optimistic” that the country’s economic growth will surpass two per cent in 2013, pointing to a number of actions that have taken place “over the course of last year. Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran said the oil-rich twin island Republic’s economic performance comes against the backdrop of fragile global economic recovery.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Congress of the People (COP) party, the second biggest partner in the four-party coalition People’s Partnership government says it is backing Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran for the post of President of Trinidad and Tobago. Parliament will meet on February 15 to elect a successor to President George Maxwell Richards, who leaves after two five-year terms, and COP leader Prakash Ramadhar said while Dookeran, a former Central Bank governor, has not yet been approached, he would be the party’s nominee if he accepted their nomination.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - A poll ahead of next Monday’s Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election is predicting a landslide victory for the incumbent People’s National Movement (PNM). The poll, by Nigel Henry and Tarik Parris of the firm Solution by Simulation, was carried out by telephone from January 7-9. It showed the Orville London-led PNM team winning 11 of the 12 seats being contested. And Ashworth Jack, leader of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), has an uphill struggle to retain his seat, figures suggested.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Last Tuesday, Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) announced a rise in price on a standard 42.5 kilogramme bag of cement by 9.5 per cent. The company had warned last July that it would have to review its prices after a 90-day strike by the OWTU meant to shift the company’s position from a wage offer of 6.5 per cent. TCL has been managing weighty losses over the last three years with a loss in 2010 of just over $80 million, a loss in 2011 of more than $130 million.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Government plans to lobby CARICOM for a decrease in the duties on cement, Trade Minister Vasant Bharath said yesterday. He spoke about the 9.5 per cent increase announced by Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference.
Bharath said Cabinet approved two options for dealing with the cement price hike. The first was to approach CARICOM and the second was to look at the ways in which Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) could be more efficient.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - However it goes on THA election day January 21, the people of Tobago have already scored a victory with the agreement by the contesting political parties to participate in tonight's debate.
To have secured the leaders of the three contending parties to agree to enter the sober, rational environment of the forum organised by the Debates Commission is no mean achievement. Commission chairman Andrew Sabga and his team deserve our deepest appreciation for their commitment on working this breakthrough initiative to this point of success.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - The year 2012 was a challenging year for equity investors in Caricom. Despite solid gains on manufacturing, conglomerate and banking stocks, returns were depressed by declines on tourism, real estate, insurance, investments and retail stocks.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Seven Government Ministers, including National Security Minister and UNC chairman Jack Warner, were in Tobago yesterday for a meeting with political leader of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), Ashworth Jack.
The meeting took place at the Coco Reef Resort in Crown Point under a high degree of secrecy, and included Ministers Warner, Suruj Rambachan, Dr Roodal Moonilal, Vasant Barath, Ganga Singh, Kevin Ramnarine and Dr Delmon Baker. Caribbean Airlines chairman, Rabindra Moonan, also attended.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Jamaica's former contractor general Greg Christie has been brought on board by a coalition of private sector and civil society groups in Trinidad and Tobago to advise it on draft legislative proposals now before the twin-island republic's parliament.
Christie has been engaged by a private and civil society group headed by the Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry in Trinidad and Tobago.