Juliana Alfred, Chair of the National Anti-Money Laundering Oversight Committee (NAMLOC), welcomed a team from the World Bank and the European Union who conducted a workshop on virtual assets for stakeholders from the public and private sectors. Saint Lucia’s Virtual Assets Providers Act, passed in 2022, provides for the licensing and supervision of the sector.
Read MoreSaint Lucia played host to a pivotal meeting of the CARICOM Permanent Joint Council on Public Procurement (PJCPP) on April 18 to 19, 2024, held at the Finance Administrative Centre in Pointe Seraphine, Castries.
Read MoreThe National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) continues its proactive approach to legislative reform, building upon the recent enactment of the Security Interest in Movable Properties Act. Currently, the Insolvency Bill, having completed its initial reading in the House of Parliament, stands as the next significant step. This bill aims to offer individuals and businesses grappling with economic challenges the opportunity to restructure their financial obligations with creditors. Sharma Mathurin serves as the Deputy Director at the NCPC.
Read MoreThe Government of Saint Lucia has announced the enactment of the new Public Debt Management Act 2023, which took effect on April 1st 2024. Deputy Director of Finance with responsibility for Debt and Investment in the Department of Finance, Vera John-Emmanuel, pointed out that this landmark legislation consolidates and modernizes laws to strengthen the management of public debt, ensure prudent borrowing practices and sustainable fiscal management. The new act replaces the National Savings and Development Bond (NSDB) Act and the Treasury Bill Act.
Read MoreThe National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) completed the first of three rounds of specialized training to improve productivity and drive economic growth. The Enhancing Business Productivity Training Programme designed by the NCPC specifically targets Medium, Small, and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs). Lisa Florent-Montoute, Director of the NCPC emphasized that the training programme highlights the importance of data collection for effective decision-making while introducing participants to the Protool, the NCPC’s productivity measuring tool which promotes a culture of continuous improvement for business success.
Read MoreA three-day capacity-building workshop in Environmental Statistics, coordinated by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) brought together a wide cross of stakeholders from the public and private sectors for training in data collection. The workshop focused on environment and climate change statistics, and the production and compilation of data with indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals. Faustina Wiggins, Environmental Statistician with the Regional Statistics Programme at the CARICOM Secretariat was one of the facilitators.
Read MoreThe Caribbean Digital Transformation Project has dispensed approximately US$200,000 for the rollout of 20 Smart Classrooms within select Primary Schools around the island. Information Systems Manager with the Ministry of Education, Joshua Vernor reinforced the many opportunities this technology will facilitate for both the teacher and student.
Read MoreDigiGov is a web-based platform that aims to digitize 154 government services to improve the ease and convenience of accessing services within the Public Sector. It is an ongoing project sponsored by the Government of Saint Lucia, through the Department of the Public Service to enhance service delivery to citizens, businesses, visitors, and investors. Marlon Narcisse, the Director of Public Sector Modernization, has spearheaded the recent training for the Registry of Companies and Intellectual Property (ROCIP), whose services will soon be piloted on the DigiGov platform.
Read MoreMembers of the National Anti-Money Laundering Oversight Committee (NAMLOC) and stakeholders came in for high praise following Saint Lucia’s successful application for re-rating of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations. During the country’s 4th Round Mutual Evaluation process Saint Lucia was rated partially compliant and non-compliant for some of these recommendations. Juliana Alfred is the Permanent Secretary in the Attorney General’s Chambers and Chair of NAMLOC.
Read MoreThere is light on the horizon for the 2022 National Population and Housing Census, which has entered the data processing and analysis phase having recently completed the challenging enumeration phase of the census. Director of Statistics at the Central Statistics Office, Sean Mathurin, indicated that his office is looking forward to the media launch of the preliminary census report by June 2024.
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