Category: CANA News

Jamaica Women defeated Trinidad and Tobago Women by three wickets under the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method in the 13th match of the T20 Blaze here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field on Wednesday.

Scores

T and T WOMEN 76-8 in 17 overs (Djenaba Joseph 27; Stafanie Taylor 3-9, Vanessa Watts 2-13, Neisha-Ann Waisome 2-19).

JAMAICA WOMEN 79-7 in 15.2 overs (Chedean Nation 24, Stafanie Taylor 21, Abigail Bryce 12; Brianna Harricharan 3-17, Karishma Ramharack 2-13).

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Private Sector Organization (CPSO) says exports from the Africa Union to CARICOM could surpass one billion US dollar.

The CPSO has unveiled the result of a new study, which it says signals a major opportunity to rewire CARICOM import supply chains.

Antigua and Barbuda Foreign Affairs, Trade and Barbuda Affairs Minister, E.P. Chet Greene, highlighted the findings of the CPSO study at the opening of the AfriCaribbean Private Sector Webinar Series, titled ‘Unlocking AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment: Opportunities, Ecosystems and Private Sector Leadership’.

The webinar is the first in a four-part series designed to unlock concrete trade, investment, and business-to-business opportunities between the Africa Union and CARICOM. It is jointly organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the CPSO and the Africa Business Council (AfBC).

The virtual forum brought together government ministers, development institutions and over 200 business leaders and private sector firms from across Africa and the Caribbean, to explore pathways for expanding commercial ties between the two regions.

Greene, delivering the feature address at the webinar, said that the CPSO study, titled ”Africa Union-CARICOM Trade in Goods: Scope and Potential’, underscored that a shifting global trade environment has made stronger Africa Union-CARICOM economic relations an urgent necessity.

He said that rising protectionism, geopolitical uncertainty, and supply-chain disruptions are placing increasing pressure on CARICOM economies, where micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) account for the vast majority of businesses.

Greene said that strengthening Africa-CARICOM commercial ties is a strategic imperative, noting that successive Africa-CARICOM summits and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) have established an important political foundation.

But he noted however, that the next phase must be driven by business.

‘Political leadership establishes the framework, but it is businesses that drive innovation, generate trade volumes, mobilize investment, and create employment,’ Greene said, adding ‘if AfriCaribbean integration is to succeed in practical terms, it must now be carried forward by the private sector’.

Citing the results of research conducted by the CPSO, Greene highlighted data showing that the Africa Union has the capacity to supply a wide range of goods competitively. The analysis indicates that deeper sourcing from the Africa Union could strengthen supply-chain resilience and reduce the Region’s vulnerability to external policy shocks.

Greene noted persistent constraints to expanding trade, including limited transport connectivity, high logistics costs, and fragmented payment systems, issuing a call for innovative approaches to financing, shipping and digital payments to unlock the full potential of the partnership.

CPSO chief executive officer and technical director, Dr. Patrick Antoine, presented findings from the recent CPSO Study, which identified up to US$1.6 billion in potential competitive opportunities for Africa Union exports to CARICOM.

The analysis also demonstrated that at least 13 Africa Union countries are each capable of supplying more than US$58 million in non-mineral fuel imports at prices typically averaging 60 per cent of current benchmarks.

Importantly, across the 579 product lines identified as competitively priced, the CPSO study found that for most products there are typically four Africa Union countries from which CARICOM can source imports at competitive prices, underscoring both the depth and diversity of available supply options.

Antoine also spoke of the importance of proactive private sector engagement, warning that shifting global policies in major markets require CARICOM firms to seek new commercial pathways and diversify trade relationships.

‘At moments like these, the role of the private sector becomes even more vital. We must be prepared to respond with agility and seize opportunities wherever they eme.

‘We in the CARICOM Private Sector have no option but to explore and execute on opportunities to navigate this ‘collective turbulence’. We in the CARICOM Private Sector choose not to whither; we choose not to retreat. Instead, we choose to engage, and to keep on engaging.

‘We choose to relentlessly confront the persistent challenges: challenges of ‘affordability’, trade concentration, and surmounting the inefficiencies of scale and size, with cooperation, integration and a laser sharp focus on ‘doing business’.’

CPSO member and chief executive officer of Goddard Enterprises Limited, Anthony Ali, shared with the audience practical lessons from his company’s direct engagement with Africa Union markets.

Ali acknowledged tat while there are challenges, substantial opportunities exist for local production partnerships in order to establish CARICOM brands in Africa, and Africa brands in CARICOM.

Ali said that successful entry into the markets in the Africa Union requires flexible models such as local production partnerships, licensing arrangements, and stronger institutional support to address financing and logistics gaps.

The forum was also addressed by Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre; Okechukwu Ihejirika, Chief Operating Officer of Afreximbank’s Caribbean Office; and Dr. Amany Asfour, President of the Africa Business Council.

They all underscored the need for stronger business-to-business linkages and data-driven collaboration.

West Indies elected to field after winning the toss against Afghanistan in the second T2oI here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

West Indies have made two changes with Ramon Simmonds and Alick Athanaze replacing Jayden Seales and Amir Jangoo, while for Afghanistan Fazalhaq Farooqi is in for Ziaur Rahman Sharifi

WEST INDIES: Brandon King (captain), Johnson Charles, Evin Lewis, Alick Athanaze, Shimron Hetmyer, Quentin Sampson, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Khary Pierre, Ramon Simmonds.

AFGHANISTAN: Rashid Khan (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Umpires: Ahmad Shah Pakteen, Muhammad Sabir.

TV Umpire: Izatullah Safi.

Reserve Umpire: Akbar Ali.

Match Referee: Hamimullah Hamid.

The Antigua and Barbuda government has again defended the decision to recruit health workers from Ghana, saying that it is an attempt to deal with a serious problem within the health sector.

‘As you can appreciate, if you have nurses who are overworked or burnt out, then this compromises patient care. We now have an opportunity to fix this issue and I want to thank the permanent secretary and the technical team for the valuable input they gave to this exercise,’ said Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph.

Sir Molwyn, flanked by top officials of the ministry, told a news conference that Antigua and Barbuda has always had a challenge with providing the adequate number of nurses to man the country’s health care system.

He said the situation has led to public comments indicating that nurses are overworked, burnt out and who face other challenges and that the decision to recruit nurses from Ghana is an attempt to address this serious problem.

Last week, the Gaston Browne government said it had agreed to contract over 100 nurses from Ghana, but insisted that it has not formally ended the programme where it has recruited health professionals from Cuba to work within the country’s healthcare system.

The United States has stepped up its call for Caribbean countries to end the health programme with Cuba, saying Washington ‘stands with those affected and continues to work for an end to the Cuban regime’s exploitative labour practices’.

A statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting said the government welcomes ‘the arrival of one hundred and twenty (120) nurses from the Republic of Ghana expected over the weekend of January 23, 2026, who will serve within the public healthcare system of Antigua and Barbuda.

‘Minister of Health, Sir Molwyn Joseph, announced that these nurses will be deployed primarily at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, as well as within community health clinics and schools, thereby enhancing both hospital-based and community-level healthcare delivery,’ the Cabinet statement added.

The Health Minister told the news conference that recruiting the nurses was the government’s way to solve a critical issue in the healthcare system and that he has no doubt that when the full complement of nurses is deployed in the system, then at all concerns regarding this valuable component of the system will be addressed.

The healthcare system requires 400 nurses to be considered sufficient to meet the demands. Currently, there are 260 local nurses, 33 Cubans with 120 Ghanaians due this month,

Permanent Secretary for Health, Stacey Gregg-Paige, who headed the team that traveled to Ghana to interview the prospective nurses, tld the news conference that the recruitment was done in collaboration with the Ministry of Ghana and that the recruitment is governed by a Memorandum of Understanding as well as a Service Agreement.

‘Both instruments were comprehensively reviewed and vetted by the Ministry of Legal Affairs, confirmed to be consistent with Antigua and Barbuda’s legal, regulatory, and policy framework, and formally accepted by the Government of Ghana.

‘Accordingly, this initiative is lawful, transparent, and structured, and operates fully within established public service, regulatory, and immigration requirements,’ she said.

Gregg-Paige said the recruitment mission was conducted in Accra from September 16-22 last year under the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme, in collaboration with the Ministry of Special Initiatives, Office of the President.

She said 190 applications were received 32 were rejected due to incomplete documentation or ineligibility, 158 candidates were interviewed using a structured, competency-based process and 127 candidates were accepted as the most suitable to be vetted by the Antigua and Barbuda Nursing Council.

The Medical Director for the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, Dr. Shivon Belle-Jarvis, said a three-week programme of orientation has been planned for the nurses.

‘It’s important to understand that anyone going into a system has to go through an onboarding process whether you are coming from within the local system or from abroad.’

Caribbean-American New York state legislator, Brian Cunningham, has become the first lawmaker to endorse New York Governor Kathy Hochul for re-election.

‘I am proud to endorse Kathy Hochul for re-election as Governor of New York,’ Cunningham, the son of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 43rd Assembly District in Brooklyn, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

‘Governor Hochul and I have built a strong, productive working relationship grounded in delivering real results for Brooklyn families. She has consistently shown up for our communities, not just in words, but through historic action.’

He said under her leadership, the 43rd Assembly District has seen more than US$1.3 billion in state investments, supporting affordable housing, transportation, education, public safety, economic development, and critical community infrastructure.

Cunningham, who is rumored to be Hochul potential running mate, said these investments are transforming lives across Central Brooklyn and reflect a governor who understands that equity means meeting communities where they are and delivering resources where they are most needed.

‘Governor Hochul leads with compassion, competence, and a deep commitment to working-class New Yorkers. I look forward to continuing our partnership as we build a stronger, safer, and more affordable New York for all.’

Cunningham, who was first elected in March 2022, said he has worked to advance legislation and secure resources that strengthen housing, education, public safety, and economic opportunity for all New Yorkers.

Born and raised in New York City to Jamaican immigrant parents, Cunningham said he is ‘a lifelong resident’, who has dedicated his career to serving his community and that growing up in a working-class family, he has developed a deep commitment to public service, equity, and opportunity for all New Yorkers.

Before his election to the New York State Assembly, Cunningham said he built a career in government, community development, and nonprofit leadership, serving in the New York City Council as a chief of staff and later as a special assistant in the New York State Senate.

Cunningham currently serves as the first vice chair of the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislators, Inc.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Wednesday said documents circulating on social media outlining zone prioritisation for policing and intelligence operations are fake.

The TTPS said that it is aware of the circulation of the documents but ‘categorically states that these documents were not created, sanctioned, or disseminated by the organisation, nor are we aware of their origin’.

The documents are being circulated as the Senate is continuing debate on Wednesday on the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) that was passed during the early hours of Saturday morning in the House of Assembly.

Unlike the Lower House, where the government enjoys the necessary two-thirds majority to have ensured its passage, the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration will need support at least from four independent legislators for the measure to become law.

‘We urge members of the public and media entities to desist from sharing unverified information which can only serve to create mischief, incite unnecessary alarm, and undermine public trust,’ the TTPS said in a statement.

It said it remains committed to transparency and ‘will continue to communicate verified operational updates through official channels.

‘We thank the public for their continued vigilance and cooperation,’ the TTPS added.

Afghanistan reached 189 for four in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat by West Indies in the second T20I here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

AFGHANISTAN 189-4 in 20 overs (Darwish Rasooli 68, Sediqullah Atal 53, Azmatullah Omarzai 26 not out, Ibrahim Zadran 22; Matthew Forde 2-25).

Jamaica Women played spoiler in the final preliminary round of the T20 Blaze, defeating Trinidad and Tobago Women by three wickets via the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method to end any hopes they had of qualifying for Friday’s final.

In a match reduced to 17 overs per side due to persistent showers, T and T could only muster 76 for eight after being sent in at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

Set a revised total of 79, Jamaica lost five wickets for just 15 runs before eventually reaching 79 for seven in 15.2 overs.

It was only Jamaica’s second win of the tournament and erased T and T’s chances of lifting the title. T and T needed to defeat Jamaica and hope that Guyana Women beat Barbados Women to give them any chance of joining Leeward Islands Women in the final.

That was not to be, however, as T and T produced a disappointing showing with the bat. Apart from opener Djenaba Joseph who topscored with 27 off 30 balls, no other batter reached double digits.

T and T were actually cruising at 40 for one at one stage before collapsing to lose four wickets for 16 runs.

Stafanie Taylor was the main architect, accounting for two of the wickets to fall. The off spinner trapped Britney Cooper lbw for five and bowled Karishma Ramharack for four,

Taylor ended with 3-9 from her three overs, while Vanessa Watts (2-13) and Neisha-Ann Waisome (2-19) chipped in with two wickets apiece to help restrict T and T.

Jamaica recovered after losing the early wickets of captain Rashada Williams for seven and Abigail Bryce for 12 to reach 60 for two at the beginning of the 10th over.

However, Brianna Harricharan (3-17) and Ramharack (2-13), triggered a sudden collapse that reduced Jamaica to 75 for seven.

But with just four runs required for victory, Waisome and Sherene Burnett got them to their target with no further losses.

The Trinidad and Tobago government says it has decided to end an appeal now before the London-based Privy Council involving Proman Holdings Barbados Ltd and the local conglomerate, CL Financial Ltd (CLF).

In a statement, the Office of the Attorney General, said that the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government which came to ffice in April last year, had been confronted with several complex legal disputes, including the Privy Council matter arising out of a controversial share transfer involving Clico Energy Company Ltd, now known as Process Energy (Trinidad) Ltd (PETL).

The dispute centred on a February 3, 2009, purchase and sale agreement under which CLF, purportedly acting through its then-chairman and director, the late Lawrence Duprey, sought to transfer a 51 per cent shareholding in Clico Energy to Proman for US$46.5 million.

High Court judge, Justice Devindra Rampersad in a ruling in September 2021 found that the transfer was invalid and Rampersad ordered Proman to return the 51 per cent shareholding to CLF and to account for dividends and distributions received. Those sums were ultimately valued at more than US$185.9 million exclusive of interest.

Proman lost an appeal before the Court of Appeal, which described the case as ‘high stakes, full-blown, adversarial litigation involving well-renowned titans of trade and industry’.

Proman subsequently pursued a final appeal before the Privy Council.

But in its statement, the Office of the Attorney General noted that immediately upon taking office, the government, as the majority shareholder and largest creditor of CLF, sought advice from a London based King’s Counsel on the prospects of success before the Privy Council and the likelihood of the appellate court’s decision being upheld.

It said that after receiving the advice, the government opted to continue settlement negotiations that had been initiated, but not concluded, under the former administration.

The statement from the Office of the Attorney General noted that careful consideration was given to the litigation risks involved, including the ‘very real possibility’ that certain findings of the Court of Appeal could be overturned by the Privy Council.

Ultimately, CLF, with the express agreement of its liquidator and the sanction of the court, agreed to sell the disputed shares to Proman Holdings Barbados Ltd as part of a compromise to bring the Privy Council proceedings to an end.

The Attorney General’s Office said the completion of the transaction allowed the government to recover significant funds for the state while avoiding the substantial financial and legal risks associated with continuing the litigation before the country’s apex appellate court.

‘This decision balanced the national interest, the prospects of success and the need to protect public finances,’ the statement said, adding that the settlement brought finality to one of the most significant and long-standing disputes arising out of the collapse of the CLF group.

Last week, the government announced it was ending the civil matters involving the collapsed conglomerate CL Financial Group after indicating that billions of dollars (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) had been spent on attorney fees.

Attorney General John Jeremie in a statement to Parliament last Friday, told legislators that the Persad-Bissessar administration had decided to end the decades old probe that included a legal ‘feeding frenzy’ even as a ‘joke’ investigation took place.

Jeremie, who laid the Sir Anthony Colman report into the failure of CL Financial in Parliament, said he had been tasked with deciding the way forward and ‘whether to continue this decades-long joke of an investigation, because that is what it was, spending money on lawyers, billions of dollars on lawyers, and not having people check boxes, or putting one police officer to watch a box.

‘What do I do? Well, as guardian of the public interest and having consulted with the Honourable Prime Minister, I have to say that we are not able to continue to spend hard resources, government resources.

‘And we are not able to authorise and to allow for the spending on professional services to persons who are sometimes golfers but who are always very wealthy, move in various parts of the world. Some of us live next door to the Governor General of Barbados.’

On January 19, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago asked the High Court to adjourn the continuation of its long-running lawsuit against former directors of CLF and Duprey, while it reviews the Colman report to determine whether it has a bearing on the case.

The matter, filed by the Central Bank in 2011, concerns allegations arising from the collapse of Colonial Life Insurance Company (Trinidad) Ltd and other entities within the CLF group.

Justice Robin Mohammed granted the adjournment to January 26.

Barbados Women defeated Guyana Women by 22 runs in the 14th match of the T20 Blaze here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field on Wednesday.

Scores

BARBADOS WOMEN 92-8 in 20 overs (Aaliyah Alleyne 38 not out, Shakera Selman 10; Kaysia Schultz 4-13).

GUYANA WOMEN 70 in 19.4 overs (Shabika Gajnabi 41 not out, Mandy Mangru 11; Theanny Herbert-Mayers 3-16, Aaliyah Alleyne 2-11, Naijanni Cumberbatch 2-16, Keila Elliott 2-21).