Caribbean RoundUp

A spike in HIV cases in Antigua and Barbuda has health authorities worried as the country observed World Aids Day on Dec. 1.

“Everyone was on the road to getting to zero. Then COVID-19 came and pushed everything back about 10 years. People had trouble accessing treatment, countries were closed or partially closed, and many were at home, bored, and more exposed,” National Aids Program Manager, Delcora Williams said on the state-owned ABS Television.

Williams reported that the recent rise in HIV cases is especially clear among those aged 15 to 19 and young adults between 24 and 48.

“This is very worrisome. The younger you are when you test positive, the more negative the impact on your most productive years, Williams said, noting that despite the stigma surrounding HIV, young people here are actively engaging in unprotected sex.”

She appealed to young people to take responsibility for their sexual health.

“No one is going to tell you they’re positive. If someone says they’re negative, go and get both of you tested.

“Many don’t know their status, and some say what they think you want to hear so they can have unprotected sex.”

Preliminary numbers indicate approximately 1,500 HIV cases in Antigua and Barbuda. Of these, more than 400 people have died, while only around 600 individuals are currently accessing care and treatment. An estimated 1,015 people with HIV are still alive.

Williams explained the need for regular HIV testing, especially for sexually active young people unsure of their partner’s status. She urged parents to move beyond avoidance and denial, emphasizing their role in protecting children.

Dr. Agnes Kalibata, former president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), stated that climate change will increasingly strain global food systems. She emphasized that small island developing states (SIDS) need to prepare for the resulting instability.

During the 50th Sir Winston Scott Memorial Lecture, Kalibata noted that many regions face extreme weather, disrupting harvests and causing unpredictable food supplies. She highlighted that African farmers have had to adapt to variable rainfall and prolonged dry spells, with direct effects on productivity and livelihoods.

She said that climate-related disruptions in major food-producing regions can reduce global supply, elevate prices, and create ripple effects that reach import-dependent nations such as Barbados.

Kalibata noted that world food markets are increasingly sensitive to shocks, and countries without buffers are most exposed.

Responding to the suggestion that young people are not interested in agriculture, Kalibata said financing for the sector is key.

“It’s only a backyard activity when we can’t harness it. It’s only a backyard thing when we can’t invest in it. It’s only an area where young people don’t go because it doesn’t make sense. So, we have an opportunity to make this sector productive.”

She added that Barbados had already taken some policy decisions that other countries could learn from.

She cited the country’s investment in greenhouse production, the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, improvements in school meals, and the protection of agricultural land.

Indar Weir, Barbados Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Nutritional Security, outlined government actions to build resilience and modernize agriculture. Efforts include reducing reliance on open-field farming and implementing projects such as aquaponics, young farmer training, greenhouses in schools, and new vertical farming systems with international partners.

President of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Daniel Best, says that Africa and the Caribbean stand at a “similar crossroads” and that partnership, discipline, and ambition can unlock capital at scale, delivering development that endures.

Addressing the African Investment Forum (AIF) Market Days, Best urged governments, development finance institutions (DFIs) and private investors to mobilize capital at scale through public-private partnerships (PPPs), blended finance, and strategic alliances.

Speaking on the theme “Bridging the Gap: Mobilizing Private Capital to Unlock Africa’s Full Potential,” Best highlighted the shared challenges and opportunities facing Africa and the Caribbean.

He said these include narrow fiscal space, climate vulnerability, and persistent infrastructure gaps, calling for bold, imaginative collaboration to transform these constraints into investable opportunities.

“Capital is a means, not an end. Infrastructure becomes development only when it improves lives, making societies more dynamic, inclusive, and resilient.”

“Well-structured partnerships deliver more than assets; they deliver confidence, jobs, and growth that reach communities,” Best said.

Best emphasized the catalytic role of DFIs in shaping investment ecosystems. He stated that blended finance and PPPs are essential tools for attracting private capital and accelerating sectors critical to long-term competitiveness.

He also called for deeper Africa-Caribbean collaboration in project preparation, PPP structuring, and climate resilience investment.

The African Investment Forum has brought together leading international voices to accelerate investment in critical sectors, including energy, transport, and healthcare.

The discussions centered on the significant role of DFIs in mitigating investment risks, creating investment products, and fostering investor confidence. Participants emphasized that collaboration and robust project design are crucial to bridging financing gaps and promoting sustainable growth for both Africa and the Caribbean.

The leader of the main opposition party in Guyana, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), Azruddin Mohamed, recently stated that he intends to take legal action against the Speaker of Parliament, Manzoor Nadir, regarding the delay in holding a meeting to elect an opposition leader.

“We have to move to the court,” Mohamed told reporters coming out of the magistrate’s court where he and his father, Nazar Mohamed, are challenging their extradition to the United States on fraud-related charges.

Following the Sept. 1 regional and general election, WIN became the second largest party in the National Assembly by winning 16 out of 65 seats. The elections were won by the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Mohamed told reporters that he would “continue my work as the presumptive opposition leader.”

His attorney, Siand Dhurjohn, told reporters that he has already started drafting proceedings ahead of the expiration of an ultimatum.

“We don’t expect him to do anything sensible, so we’re going to be prepared to serve him,” he said, adding that the Speaker is obligated to facilitate the election of the Opposition Leader at a meeting by non-government parliamentarians.

“It should be done as soon as possible. The very constitution contemplates that it be done as soon as possible,” he said, adding “there are duties and obligations of the Leader of the Opposition which are indispensable to our democracy that the Leader of the Opposition has to do which he, as a result of the Speaker’s inaction, is deprived of the ability to do those things,” he added.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefly visited Trinidad and Tobago, spending about three hours in the country to meet with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Caine’s itinerary called for a visit to Puerto Rico, where the US has amassed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops as part of a hub for its strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats originating from Venezuela, to meet with US troops and engage with service members.

However, his itinerary changed, and he included a brief visit to Trinidad for a face-to-face meeting with Persad-Bissessar.

Arriving at the Piano International Airport in Trinidad at 11a.m., Caine immediately went to the Diplomatic Centre in Port of Spain and met with Persad-Bissessar, the Attorney General, Homeland Security Minister, Defence Minister, Acting Foreign Affairs Minister, a Chief of Defence Staff and Commanding Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment.

The meeting lasted less than two hours, after which Caine left and returned directly to the airport.

In a media release, Persad-Bissessar stated that the meeting reaffirmed Trinidad and Tobago’s strong relationship with the US as a global ally on key priorities, including regional security and stability.

She “expressed her government’s continued commitment to working to ensure that the harmful effects of narco-trafficking, human trafficking and transnational crime were eradicated for the benefit of our citizens, country and region.”

Persad-Bissessar also “expressed gratitude for the existing co-operation between both nations, as they have been built on decades of diplomacy and mutual benefit as global allies, now forming an instrumental partnership to protect our region. “

The release said Caine acknowledged and appreciated Trinidad and Tobago’s “continued leadership and efforts to work closely to ensure a stronger, safer and more secure region.