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OECS needs a unified approach to development, says economist

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-OECS-needs-a-unified-approach-to-development%2C-says-economist-33951.html #

grenada_forum

The panel at the Grenada Forum

Published on March 30, 2017

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada — The biggest impediment to growth of the economies of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is their small size and scale of production, and the lack of a unified regional approach to development. That’s the view of Dr Vanus James, economist, statistician and regional academic in remarks at the OECS Economic Growth Forum in Grenada on Friday, March 17, 2017.

Citing tertiary education as one of the growth sectors with the greatest potential for growth, James singled-out Grenada (St Georges University) as well as Antigua, as leading in tertiary education in the OECS. He believes that model must now be replicated across the OECS, in other growth sectors such as the creative industries and the ICT sector, identifying skills gaps and helping to attract foreign investment through a regional approach.

The Grenada forum was the final in the public education forum series – Vini Koze – which engaged citizens of the OECS on key development issues such as education, climate change, agriculture, youth empowerment, and regional integration.

James, who has worked as a senior policy advisor to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said with very slow growth in large economies such as the United States, Canada and Europe, which are major source markets for our tourism industry as well as buyers of our exports, the region is at a critical juncture in terms of its economic fortunes.

He said these developed countries and traditional allies, are all threatening to close their economies and reduce imports from the region, a factor he said can “negatively affect our ability to increase our exports, which is what we need as small countries, in order to raise our rate of growth.”

James suggested that “for the first time, countries of the Eastern Caribbean are at a juncture where they are confronted with the challenge of how to diversify their economies away from tourism, in the context of slow growth and falling imports in the North Atlantic.”

“At this moment in our history, we must create new types of exports by building our domestic capital sector. That’s the most historic challenge we’ve ever faced, from Slavery to now. How to do we create capital with our own capabilities. In that regard, we need new thinking about how to grow our economies.”

James feels very strongly that the region needs to return to the growth strategies used before globalisation.

He explained: “We import most of the assets we use to produce, but if you want to engage the world, you have to build domestic capability, to create demand in the world for the things we export. We must build-up our domestic capital sector. The fundamental problem we have in the Caribbean is that our domestic sector is too small. We’re not doing enough with the creative industries. We’re not doing enough with ICT as exports. And we’re not doing enough with tertiary education as an export. To engage with the changing world, we must change the type of exports we offer by building our domestic capital sector.”

James is adamant that in order to build the domestic capital sector, “we have to confront the historical inequalities in our societies, including the unequal access to power.” He asserted that the people who get access to power and who shape policy in the region, are a select few who have always had access to the levers of power, and who have not invested well in our domestic capabilities.

Consequently, he recommended major reform in governance in the OECS and the wider Caribbean. He called for participatory budgeting at the national level and joint policy-making, both of which would ensure more people involvement and people participation in governance.

Oliver Joseph, minister for economic development, said the government of Grenada is taking steps to ensure more citizen engagement in national budgeting.

He explained: “In the preparation of our National Budget in Grenada, we have consultations where we go throughout the island to get the views of farmers, the youth, and all stakeholders, to hear what they would like to see in the budget and what initiatives they would like the government to pursue at the community and national level.”

Grenada has just come to the end of a homegrown structural adjustment programme from which it received a passing grade from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), following a recent country assessment with significant reduction in its debt to GDP ratio from 60 percent to 40 percent.

Joseph contended: “The only reason we have been so successful is because we continue to listen to our social partners in shaping and implementing national policy. The success we have achieved is because of the participation and ‘buy-in’ we have had from the people.”

In relation to the issue of rising youth unemployment in OECS member states, Joseph said the era of government being the largest employer is coming to an end. He said the approach should be for government to give incentives to the private sector and seek to attract foreign direct investment to create jobs.

Joseph disclosed that in 2016, Grenada spent EC$30 million on training of young people through the Grenada Training Institute, where they attained CARICOM Vocational Qualification (CVQ) in various skilled areas. He said this training is designed to provide young people with the tools to create their own employment or to secure jobs in the specialized areas in which they are trained.

As it relates to diversifying Grenada’s economy, Joseph says the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has just completed a study of the non-tourism services sector which will guide government policy as it relates to the incentives and skills needed to grow these sectors.

President of the St Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association, Sanovnik Destang, believes there is scope to expand the contribution of tourism to the economies of the OECS.

He told the forum: “The tourism sector has seen tremendous growth in recent years. We had some rough years in 2008, 2009, and 2010, but we’ve seen steady growth since then. ”

Destang believes the time has come to broaden the contribution of tourism to GDP beyond arrival figures. He notes that visitor expenditure has a major trickle-down effect in the local economy, and there are millions of dollars to be gained from strengthening linkages between tourism and other sectors such as agriculture. On the home front, the SLHTA has teamed up with local farmers in setting-up a Virtual Agriculture Clearing House (VACH).

Destang said this initiative has seen a significant increase in the purchase and use of local produce by hotels in Saint Lucia. He says the system is so advanced, that an app has been developed to forecast the production cycles of farmers to match demand from the hotels.

The public education forum series is part of the public education component of the Economic Integration and Trade Programme of the OECS region, funded by the 10th European Development Fund. It is being produced by ElShaFord Productions on behalf of the OECS Commission. The series will be edited for broadcast across all OECS member states, the wider Caribbean, and the West Indian diaspora in the UK, the USA, and Canada.

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Crime/Justice, International news, News

US praises Honduras while criticising Eastern Caribbean islands

Published on April 1, 2017

 

Honduras minister advisor for strategy and communications, Christa Castro

By Caribbean News Now contributor

WASHINGTON, USA — A report released last month by the US Department of State credits the Honduras government for reducing rates of homicide, kidnapping, and extortion in the Central American country, while being sharply critical of Eastern Caribbean islands for failing to curb drug trafficking and money laundering.

According to the State Department’s 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), the Eastern Caribbean hosts abundant transshipment points for illicit narcotics, primarily from Venezuela destined for North American, European and domestic Caribbean markets.

The scathing report attributed the islands’ susceptibility to corruption and money laundering to “the high volume of narcotics trafficking around the islands”.

On the other hand, the Honduras government is steadfastly eliminating corruption among the Honduras National Police force, according to the US report. President Juan Orlando Hernández’s Police Purge Commission, created last year, removed 1,946 police officers by December. The commission continues to vet its officers — and is aiming to reach its goal of completing 14,000 personnel reviews by April.

The report also underscores the US government’s role in Honduras crime prevention and community programs, highlighting 40 US-supported outreach centres for at-risk youth.

“Over the past several years, the Honduran government has taken concrete steps to bolster its security and justice system, while combatting organized crime and drug trafficking,” said Christa Castro, minister advisor for strategy and communications for the government of Honduras. “The State Department report highlights the fruits of our labor — a safer country for all Hondurans.”

“The United States plays a key role in assisting vulnerable people in Honduras,” said Castro. “We look forward to continuing our work with the US government to improve the capacity of our justice system and ensure that civilians are protected.”

The State Department report details the efforts of the Honduran government to battle crime and drug trafficking from all sides — by stamping out corruption, strengthening security forces, and supporting at-risk populations.

“The results are visible,” the report concludes. “Rates of homicide, kidnapping, and extortion were down from 2015, and citizens’ impressions of the HNP are improving.”

Hernández is simultaneously spearheading human rights reforms within the Honduras Armed Forces, according to a separate State Department report. Over 4,500 service members had received human rights training as of August.

Meanwhile, assertions in the INSCR in relation to Antigua and Barbuda, all of which on their face are factually incorrect in general or in detail and for which no evidence was offered or sources quoted in the report, have been rejected publicly by the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

According to senior sources in other US government agencies, this has given rise to some very serious concern on the grounds that, if the State Department’s assertions of fact are shown to be baseless and/or unsupported by other government departments and agencies that should have been consulted, the inescapable implication is that US foreign policy is flawed because it is being driven by flawed or false intelligence and reporting.

Furthermore, if it can be shown that the adverse report in relation to Antigua and Barbuda was based upon “alternative facts” rather than reality, this will add weight to a suggestion that it was motivated by spitefulness and retaliation for Antigua’s recent efforts to enforce the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling and award against the US in relation to online gaming.

Since neither the State Department nor any of the other US government agencies and departments listed in the INSCR as having supplied relevant information for the report has responded to requests for comment and clarification, Caribbean News Now has filed a number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for copies of related documents.

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Horoscope

The Thought of the day

April 3,2017

Good morning my dear families and friends and hope that we all had a good night’s rest.

The thought for today says ” You fall, you rise, you make mistakes,
you live, you learn.
You’re human, not perfect.
You’ve been hurt, but you’re alive.
Think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive to breathe, to think, to enjoy, and to be with people you love. Sometimes there is sadness in our journey, but there is also lots of beauty.We must keep putting one foot in front of the other
even when we hurt, for we will never know what is waiting for us just around the bend.” Have a blessed Monday and a Productive week ahead.
Today’s Tip

“If we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”

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Horoscope

Thought of the day

April 2, 2017

Buckie Got It…..Good morning my dear families and friends I hope that we all had a good night’s rest.

The thought for today reminds us that “God can mend a broken heart if we give Him all the pieces.”

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,To see Your power and Your glory. Psalm 63:1-2. Have a blessed Sunday and a Productive week ahead and remember to Give them ALL to Jesus.
Today’s Tip

He can mend broken relationships, renew your mind.
Heal our bodies He’s the forgiver of sins.
He can deliver you from evil, He can place a piece within
ALL things becomes possible when my God steps in.

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International Sports, Sports

Kia Race to the MVP Ladder: Russell Westbrook, James Harden on the clock for final MVP statments

MVP frontrunners have about two weeks to make their lasting cases for the award

Sekou Smith

Sekou Smith NBA.com

Mar 31, 2017 11:56 AM ET

How will James Harden and Russell Westbrook separate themselves from the other down the stretch?

Time is of the essence in any race.

And in the case of this season’s crowded chase for the KIA MVP, the time between now and the end of the NBA regular season — some two weeks — couldn’t be more crucial for all involved.

The Maurice Podoloff Trophy could be won, or lost, based on what transpires between now and April 12.

For projected frontrunners Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden of the Houston Rockets, that means there are two weeks to make competing arguments as to why they are deserving of the most prestigious individual award the game has to offer.

That means each and every matchup, no matter the level of competition, could have a significant impact on who fits where when the dust settles on what has been a remarkable season for the deepest field in the MVP race we’ve seen in years.

That also means every triple-double, every clutch shot, every dramatic win, plays a part in this process. They’ll serve as closing arguments, if you will, for cases these superstars have been making all season.

Westbrook authored one of his finest efforts earlier this week, posting the highest scoring triple-double (57 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) in league history in Wednesday’s overtime win over Orlando.

It was a performance that had it all, the numbers, the dramatics and Westbrook, of course, playing hero for a Thunder team that never seems to let up.

1:59

Russell Westbrook sets an NBA record with a 57-point triple-double against the Thunder.

“You just got to want it more than other people,” Westbrook said after the game. “I think for me, every night I don’t think about getting tired. I just go out and keep going, keep going.”

Westbrook’s unwavering belief in himself, and the relentlessness that’s always been a staple of his game, is what’s fueling his campaign on a nightly basis down the stretch of this season.

Whether he acknowledges it or not, and for the most part this season he has refused to indulge, no matter how many times he’s baited, he was made for the chase.

“He never believes that he’s ever out of it or we’re ever out of it, and he plays with an incredible competitive spirit,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “He just plays with unbelievable spirit all the time. He’s got a huge heart, he’s a huge competitor and he finds ways to make things happen.”

1:00

Take a closer look at the numbers to know in this week’s Race to the MVP Ladder.

Westbrook will get another chance to make a compelling statement tonight if he can produce a fifth straight triple-double (and his 39 of the season) against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena (8 ET, ESPN).

Harden has his own opportunity tonight in Oakland (10:30 ET, ESPN), where he’ll face a streaking Warriors team that has won nine straight games and is raging towards the playoffs (and Kevin Durant’s return from injury to join then in their championship hunt).

Two weeks is all that remains, a limited amount of opportunities to make a defining statement in one of the most compelling competitions in all of sports.

And you better believe, time, as always, is of the essence.

Now to this week’s KIA Race to the MVP Ladder:

***

1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week: No. 2

Westbrook has a chance to get his fifth straight triple-double tonight when the Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs. And you know he’s licking his chops at the opportunity. He’s locked in on Oscar Robertson’s NBA record of 41 triple-doubles this season, with 38 and counting following the highest scoring triple-double in league history in Wednesday’s win over Orlando (33.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists in his last five games).

1:58

Russell Westbrook is nominated for the Kia Western Conference Player of the Month for March.

2. James Harden, Houston Rockets

Last week: No. 1

Harden refuses to make any excuses, but it’s clear that sore wrist he’s dealing with is having an effect on his game right now. The Rockets have dropped two straight games heading into tonight’s showdown against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. Now is not the time to start sputtering, not with the playoffs so close and MVP ballots due in two weeks. (30.6 points, 11.4 assists, 7.6 rebounds in his last five games).

1:52

James Harden scores 30 points with eight boards in Houston’s loss to Portland.

3. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

Last week: No. 4

Leonard was solid in a win over Cleveland to kick off big boy week, finishing with 25 points, six rebounds and six assists. But he struggled a bit (five turnovers, 7-of-20 shooting) in a loss to Golden State Wednesday. But he’ll get a chance to straighten things out while also trying to slow down triple-double machine Russell Westbrook tonight in Oklahoma City (22.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists in his last five games).

2:01

Kawhi Leonard scores 25 points in a big win over the Cavs.

4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Last week: No. 3

LeBron passed Shaquille O’Neal for seventh on the all-time scoring list against the Bulls Thursday night, reaching yet another career milestone. But the Cavaliers are reeling right now, having lost six times in their last 10 games. No one wants March to end more than James and the Cavaliers, who are 6-10 with tonight’s home game against Philadelphia up next (23.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists in his last five games).

1:48

LeBron James scores 26 points against the Bulls to move to 7th on the NBA all-time leading scoring list.

5. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics

Last week: No. 5

The No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase is there for the taking if Thomas and his Celtics can take care of their business during the final two-plus weeks of the regular season. You can bet on Thomas playing with a heightened sense of urgency, fourth quarter mode at all times, to make sure it happens (29.2 points, 4.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds in his last five games).

1:57

Isaiah Thomas scores a game-high 32 points against the Bucks.

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Last week: No. 7

It took him a while to find it, but Curry has donned his KIA MVP cape of the past two years recently for the Warriors, who have won nine straight games and host the Rockets tonight at Oracle Arena. He was at his best in that epic comeback win over the Spurs Wednesday night, scoring and assisting the Warriors to victory in a hostile environment (25.2 points, 10.0 assists, 5.2 rebounds in his last five games).

2:53

Stephen Curry scores 29 points with 11 assists in a big win over the Spurs.

7. John Wall, Washington Wizards

Last week: No. 6

The Wizards’ wicked road slate to finish the regular season continues tonight at Utah against a team that’s a mirror image of Wall’s upstart crew. Wall has certainly been up to the challenge, playing some of his best basketball of the season during this current, late-season grind. Clinching the franchise’s first division title since 1979 is more significant than realized, especially for Wall (31.2 points, 10.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds in his last five games).

1:44

John Wall explodes for 41 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against the Clippers.

8. Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz

Last week: No. 8

The Jazz have been average lately (5-5 in their past 10 games) and need to be better if they want the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff chase, which means they need even more from Hayward down the stretch of this season. And with a stout Washington Wizards team in town tonight, he’ll be challenged to do exactly that (22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists in his last five games).

0:15

Gordon Hayward drains a 3 and draws the foul for a four-point play opportunity.

9. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors

Last week: No. 9

DeRozan gets to match wits with Indianan Pacers All-Star Paul George tonight at the Air Canada Centre, continuing his late-season march against the best of the best. He’s proved to be more than up to the task, no matter who’s on the other side, during what has turned out to be a revealing season for one of the game’s truly elite wing players (32.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds in his last five games).

1:58

DeMar DeRozan is nominated for the Kia Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March.

10. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Last week: NR

Adding big man Jusuf Nurkic around the trade deadline was the boost Lillard and C.J. McCollum needed to revive the Trail Blazers’ season and it’s taken this long to do it. Lillard, snubbed yet again for an All-Star nod this season, will get the last laugh by driving his team to the playoffs when they were left for dead earlier this season (24.6 points, 7.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds in his last five games).

1:58

Damian Lillard scores a game-high 31 points with 11 assists in Portland’s win over the Rockets.

Next five (listed alphabetically): Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies; Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Next up?

An Inside Look at … Khris Middleton (from an Eastern Conference advance scout):

“When Jabari Parker went down for the season it looked bleak for the Bucks. They were already struggling a little bit and then that bad news hit. But Middleton was coming back at that same time and I don’t know if anyone realized just how important he would be for them down the stretch, but he’s made all the difference in the world for this team. His ability to stretch the floor deep beyond the 3-point line, especially at his size, opens up all sorts of mismatches for (Bucks coach Jason) Kidd to play with. They’ve already got the longest and most athletic roster in the league, and I mean that, they don’t get recognized for that the way they should. And Middleton is a huge part of that. He’s deceptively long and while not exactly an elite athlete in our league, certainly a better athlete than he’s given credit for being. You have him and the Greek Freak, John Henson, the rookie (Thon) Maker and the rest of those guys and they can be a handful, just dealing with them on the hoof. Middleton being a knockdown shooter, though, is what changes the game for them. He’s a 44 percent shooter from distance and shoots it at what, 87 percent from the line? That’s a huge boost for a team that doesn’t really have an abundance of quality shooters on the roster. When he’s added to that mix, they’re a completely different problem to deal with because he really opens the floor up, particularly in the halfcourt, for Giannis to take advantage of you and punish you in and around the basket. We handled them pretty well earlier in the season when Middleton was out. But that changed when he came back.”

Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

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