By Susana Lima

With the establishment of two branches, the largest insurance company in Suriname inaugurated its services in the Caribbean, Assuria NV, with the aiming to promote regional development for both countries. General Assuria (GY) and Assuria Life Inc. (GY) Inc. began operations during the weekend.

Donald Ramotar, Guyanese President said that for several years there has been talks about attracting foreign investment beyond the region, but now they can talk about investment in their own area.

By Robert Damon

Japanese businesses have demonstrated significant interest in investing in Jamaica.

This was stated by Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, during his presentation at the recently held investment forum staged by Mayberry Investments in Kingston.

Por Robert Damon

The Youth Desk at the CARICOM Secretariat is close to finalizing a manual that will be used to equip young people throughout the region with the knowledge, attitudes and skills to run a business successfully.

Much of the content and activities in the manual, dubbed Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunities (CEBO), were fine tuned during a February 8 to 11 workshop that was held in St Kitts.

 

By Lara Holmes

Next April, Havana once again will host the consumers of the famous Partagas cigars for updates of this brand of cigars, confirmed a statement from the organizers of the event.

The note explains that in April and November, as is traditionally held are the meetings with clients at La Casa del Habano Partagas.

 

By Eliane Portillo

In a meeting of the Cuban parliament’s standing commission on Economic Affairs, Cuba’s First Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Antonio Carricarte said there has been a slight reduction of imports, but noted there are management deficiencies in ensuring raw materials, among other matters, that hamper the country’s goals of replacing imports with local products and increasing exports.

The deputy minister noted that there is great potential for increasing and diversifying exports given to the high educational level of the Cuban people, and the level of development reached in the fields of health, informatics and communications. 

By Eliane Portillo

The Ministry of Energy and Mining is projecting the creation of up to 2,000 jobs within the mining sector in Jamaica over the next 10 years.

The projection is based on the extent of associated activities resulting from the full implementation of the National Policy on Minerals Development 2010 - 2030.

By Eliane Portillo

Cuban President Raul Castro leads the island's delegation to attend on Thursday in this capital the 4th summit meeting between Cuba and the eight member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The event aims at exploring areas of collaboration, and is a new opportunity to strengthen cooperation, expand investment and, enhance economic relations between the two sides.

By Eliane Portillo

Experts from Cuba and the United States are making preparations on Sunday for a five-day meeting aimed at seeking opportunities for research cooperation in biological and environmental sciences, enabling technologies, and science policy.

The forum, coordinated by The Academy of Sciences of Cuba (ACC) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), will be attended by about 40 directors of research centers and researchers from the two countries, said ACC sources.

The aim is to reach sustainable collaboration between the two countries, whose governments lack diplomatic relations since the White House broke its links with Havana in 1961.

According to organizers, this is a conference between representatives from the two scientific communities and will include specialized sessions to discuss specific projects, aimed to draw up a report on possible joint work.

The results could focus on detailed work plans for future cooperation, said an ACC communiqué.

By Eliane Portillo

The Minister of Tourism of St. Kitts and Nevis, Richard Skerritt, called on the region to protest against the tax hike that the United Kingdom has imposed on anyone flying to the Caribbean.

The 2011 economic measure on travelers venturing on the long-range flight will increase from 132 to 143 dollars per person in April, thus affecting the Caribbean tourism industry.

Mr. Skerritt, head of the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), defined the announced tax rise as a slap in the face of all Caribbean peoples.

He added that the Caribbean is the region that depends most on tourism and the UK is ignoring the negative effect of that measure on these countries' economies, travelers and the travel industry from that European country.

Skerritt noted that the British tax is discriminatory, because it penalizes the Caribbean more than other competing destinations, and has affected Caribbean citizens who reside in the UK, who are not rich and have to return home.

 

 

By Susana Lima

As of Dec. 15, Copa Airlines will expand its flights frequency incorporating a daily flight between Panama City and the island of Aruba to meet the growing demand for American travelers to vacation in this destination.

The "Hub of the Americas" that the company has in the Tocumen airport, will be the connection port, which will provide immediate access for passengers to the Copa Airlines' route network and its 59 destinations in America.

By Eliane Portillo

More than 1,000 businesspeople and government officials took part in the Invest in Haiti Forum, one of the largest meetings of its kind ever held in the Caribbean, underscoring the strong private sector interest in the country’s economic potential.

Participants discussed concrete business opportunities in sectors such as apparel, tourism and agribusiness, as well as infrastructure projects related to Haiti’s reconstruction and long term development efforts.

By Susana Lima

The nongovernmental organization Border Solidarity started last Wednesday in the department of Dajabón northeast of the country's first bilateral trade fair for food to increase food production in the provinces located on the border of Haiti and Dominican Republic.

The initiative arose from the alert of the Organization for Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), due to the effects of global warming increasingly affecting the food and planet. The event will end up next Sunday.

By Eliane Portillo

Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr Christopher Tufton, says there are numerous possibilities for significant expansion of trade and investment with Japan, as a result of a longstanding 40-year relationship with that country.

Speaking at a special working luncheon hosted by Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) for a visiting Japan-CARICOM economic mission to Jamaica, Tufton cited the development of Jamaica’s coffee industry as an example of the areas of cooperation between the two countries.

By Eliane Portillo

Haiti was once a major global supplier of coffee and now the government of Haiti and its partners are determined to help the industry regain the lustre of years past.

The outlook is positive.  Beans from the Gwo Chwal region once sold for US$0.30 a pound. Now, Japanese roasters are buying these quality beans for US$5.50. In addition, Cafe COCANO farmers from Port-de-Paix are expecting to double the exports of their organically-grown coffee, already selling on the Internet and in Italian espresso shops. 

By Susana Aguirre

Delta Airlines announced through a statement its flight increased offer with 12 new links from New York to destinations of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Bahamas and other U.S. cities.

New frequencies between the airport in New York-JFK and Santiago de los Caballeros, San Juan and Santo Domingo in addition to nonstop service between New York-LaGuardia and Nassau in the Bahamas.