KINGSTON, Jamaica –  National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCBJ), through its philanthropic arm, NCB Foundation, on Friday announced the launch of a J$300-million disaster relief fund to support people affected by Hurricane Beryl, which ravaged several parts of the island earlier this week.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF) says they are supporting Trinidad and Tobago in the development of a public-private partnership that will improve cargo services at the port of Port of Spain, boosting trade and enhancing the country’s competitiveness.

NASSAU, Bahamas – African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance, facilitate, and promote intra and extra-African trade, says it has signed an agreement to avail a project preparation facility in favor of the Bahamas government.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The St. Kitts-Nevis government says it will be undertaking a comprehensive economic impact assessment of the annual music festival to determine whether changes are necessary to ensure its future sustainability.

WASHINGTON, DC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Friday said it will make available immediately a total of US$56 million to Barbados after its executive board concluded the third review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).

GEORGETOWN, Guyana –  The Guyana government says the agricultural  sector earned more than GUY$919 million in revenue during the first half of this year from the export of non-traditional crops.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The president of Guyana,  Dr. Irfaan Ali says that by the end of 2027, the country  is likely to save US$60 million on the importation of corn, soya and shrimp – the three of commodities for which production is being ramped up.

WASHINGTON, DC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Tuesday said the economy of the Dutch-speaking Caribbean island of Sint. Maarten continues to recover thanks to strong stayover tourism and the reconstruction.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The newly elected chairman of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Renata Vargas Amaral, says her priorities over the next year will be tackling climate change, deeper private sector engagement and enhancing multilateral development.

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell is objecting to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommendation that Grenada should establish a more coherent and transparent framework for managing Citizenship By Investment (CBI) revenues as this would strengthen budget and investment planning.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – President Irfaan Ali says his government is evaluating the feasibility of a second major gas initiative to complement the ongoing gas to energy project at Wales, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara.

OTTAWA, Canada – Jamaica says there is indeed an opportunity for the Caribbean to build its economic recovery on a modern foundation, utilizing technology and the digitization of public and private sector services.