Le manager de l’équipe belge, Patrick Lefevere, a révélé, samedi, qu’une négociation est en cours pour une fusion avec la surpuissante formation néerlandaise, dont le Slovène ne fera plus partie en 2024.Le manager de l’équipe belge, Patrick Lefevere, a révélé, samedi, qu’une négociation est en cours pour une fusion avec la surpuissante formation néerlandaise, dont le […]
Chandelle, pack, raffut, cravate, chistera, grattage, déblayage… Le vocabulaire du rugby est riche, et parfois nébuleux pour les non-spécialistes.Chandelle, pack, raffut, cravate, chistera, grattage, déblayage… Le vocabulaire du rugby est riche, et parfois nébuleux pour les non-spécialistes.
A recent white paper from Nearshore Americas, a supplier of news and analysis for the nearshoring industry, has examined the reasons for Jamaica’s success in the Global Services Sector (GSS) and discovered that international businesses are able to leverage the natural talent for delivering global service in the Jamaican population. The document, which is titled “Jamaica’s Unique Culture: Deploying the Hard Benefits of Jamaica’s Abundant Soft Skills,” examined the nation’s cultural heritage and explained how this relates to GSS. The report noted that Jamaicans have a long history of resilience and perseverance, a “can do” attitude that is displayed at all levels of their society, including business.
Historically Suited to Global Service Economy
The world knows Jamaica as a friendly nation that honors its cultural traditions. This attitude, coupled with the country’s location in the Caribbean Sea, has made it a top tourist destination. They have also fostered Jamaica’s ability to adapt and embrace change, elements that ensure success in GSS. Jamaica’s national motto, “Out of many, one people,” indicates the culture’s diversity and unity, and its pride in its range of cultural traditions. Combining British, African, and Asian traditions creates the nation’s rich and friendly culture which is valued around the world.
Praise for the School System
The white paper offers special praise for Jamaica’s school system, noting it is a major factor in its success in the GSS industry. Describing the school system as “outward-looking,” the report cites its commitment to encouraging the development of positive factors in the national culture. The Jamaican school system is considered one of the best in the Western Hemisphere, and the country has a secondary school enrollment of almost 100 percent. Jamaica is also one of the few Caribbean nations that makes heavy investments in education. The system works to produce graduates who have critical thinking skills, problem-solving ability, and effective communication. All these skills are required to succeed in the GSS industry.
Jamaica’s Soft Skills
The “soft skills” cited in the white paper – communication, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and time management – are part of Jamaica’s culture, which encourages the development of these skills, and Jamaicans excel at them. Successful communication relies on active listening in which understanding is the chief goal. It does not require agreement but does mean professionalism in client engagement. Jamaicans with their positive and friendly style are skilled in this regard, and this is shown by the Jamaican service sector’s annual average growth of 20 percent, one of the highest percentages in the world. Skill in problem-solving is critical in client and team engagement, and Jamaican culture has an edge here due to its traditional commitment to positive outcomes. Jamaica’s diverse background in which people from various walks of life and unique histories participate equally in its economy has fostered emotional intelligence in its population and makes the nation able to handle interpersonal relationships with clients and customers in an effective way. Jamaicans also care about time management, which requires an understanding and sensitivity to how their behavior affects others. This is another area where Jamaican culture is well suited to GSS.
Soft Skills Create Positive GSS Environment
The unique history of Jamaica has developed a culture that is perfect for GSS business. Most nearshore research focuses on geographic location, infrastructure, and labor markets, Jamaica stands out in the Caribbean region for its friendly “can do” attitude and the transmission of positive values of its culture to ensure success in GSS.
This is a Podcast of the Jamaica & Caribbean Weekly News Summary for the week ending September 29 2023 JAMAICA WEEKLY News Summary Podcast is brought to you by Jamaicans.com. For past Jamaica & Caribbean Weekly News Podcasts please visit our archives
The eagerly awaited biographical film about the life of Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley, “Bob Marley: One Love,” from Paramount was originally slated for release on January 12, 2024. That date has been pushed to Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2024. This is perhaps a more appropriate date as it is a good time to celebrate Marley’s messages of love and unity among all people. The film will give Marley’s fans the opportunity to witness his powerful story on the big screen.
In Development for Years
Fans have waited a long time for the Marley biopic, which has been in active development since 2021. The film’s director, Marcus Green, then confirmed the making of the film in November of that year and shared that it would focus on the singer’s political activism and the period in which he recorded his ninth studio album, “Exodus. Later on, it was reported that members of the Marley family, including his widow, Rita Marley; his son Ziggy Marley; and his daughter Cedella Marley all worked on the film and are involved as executive producers, along with Robert Teitel.
Film Depicts Intense Period in Marley’s Life
The film follows the singer’s life from his childhood in Jamaica to his most famous stage performance. It showcases his public and private life and depicts arguably his most challenging period when he was the target of an assassination attempt in 1976. An unknown gunman fired on Marley’s home, leaving him severely injured. Despite the injuries, however, Marley went on to perform at the free “Smile Jamaica” concert and shared his message of love and unity from the stage.
Cast and Crew
The film stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley and Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley. Also featured are Micheal Ward, James Norton, Michael Gandolfini, Anthony Welsh, Tosin Cole, Nadine Marshall, Sundra Oakley, Diane Jobson, Umi Myers, and Cindy Breakspeare. It was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, and Zach Baylin. The official trailer for the film is available online.
Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud engaging with an engineer of Fidis Guyana Incorporated
Speaking with the Department of Public Information (DPI) at the site, Minister Persaud said that work is about 45 per cent completed.
“The roof should be completed within two months’ time along with the floor and the internal walls,” said Minister Persaud.
Meanwhile, based on the inspection, many works are still to be completed and as such, the company is expected to legally write to the ministry, requesting additional time for the project.
Works ongoing on a section of the building
In 2022, the company was offered an extension with a promising timeline of June 2023.
“I cannot say what extension time they are looking at but once they write to us, we will take it from there and see what we will do,” the local government minister noted.
Another challenge facing the contractor is the constant availability of special sizes of wood that need to be cut. According to the minister, these sizes do not include the regular sizes such as 2 by 4, 1 by 6, or 1 by 4, but rather 9 by 9 and 12 by 12.
“What we found during our visit here is that because this is an old wooden building when we remove a part of the wall, we see the other portion being badly rotted and so that also needs a lot of work,” added Minister Persaud.
Minister Persaud engaging with Town Clerk (ag) Candace Nelson and Assistant City Engineer of the Mayor and City Council, Rasheed Kellman
The project which initially cost $780 million was awarded and signed on September 24, 2021, to Fidis Guyana Incorporated.
However, due to extensive work that was yet to be completed, the government further intervened and allocated some $263.1 million in this year’s budget towards the project. Minister Persaud encouraged the contracting company to make sure that the work is diligently being done and that excellent quality must be possessed at the end. (DPI)
Prolific oil finds offshore Guyana have made the tiny country, located on the northern edge of South America, the talk of the town. With all eyes on Guyana now, the country hopes to bring global attention to its ambitious forest-saving plans.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali travelled around the world over the last two years talking about Guyana’s revised Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). In short, this is a national plan detailing how Guyana will pursue development while protecting its vast, intact forests that help to trap harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
In September, Dr. Ali went from event to event at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) and on the sidelines, talked about Guyana’s nuanced approach to low carbon development.
At a Concordia event on September 18, he said developing countries should be allowed to exploit their resources because they were not traditionally given the opportunity to do so. For Guyana, that means pursuing a prolific oil and gas industry while earning from the forests that have not been cut down and harnessing other resources.
But he expressed concerns that developing countries seem to be chastised for finally harnessing their resources.
“When are the developing countries going to get the opportunities to exploit their resources to fund development?” President Ali asked during a panel discussion with former Colombian President Iván Duque.
Guyana’s pursuit is a tricky one. The global oil and gas industry is notorious for emitting carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases which has resulted in the current climate crisis.
On the other hand, Guyana has not been a large emitter of harmful gases but its forests have helped to trap emissions from other countries for years. If cut down and used for other productive activities, like agriculture or mining, those forests would not help to save the environment.
So Guyana is arguing that it must earn money from the forests. It hopes to do so by trading carbon credits, as it has already done with the Hess Corporation, one of the companies benefiting from oil and gas production offshore Guyana.
The plan to attract global attention and support for Guyana’s forest-saving efforts seems to be working.
Mr. Duque, for one, expressed his support for the LCDS. During the Concordia event, he said he was “impressed” by efforts to promote low carbon development while using the money earned from the oil and gas industry to fund development needs.
He isn’t the only person noticing Guyana’s ambitions.
His visit was described as historic since it was the first time a former or sitting British Prime Minister visited the South American country that was once under British rule. Mr. Blair had one public appearance: a conversation on the environment with President Ali at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen campus.
“I think you’re in a very strong leadership position on this [forest protection and compensation] because you are one of the very few countries in the world that actually preserved their rainforests,” the former British Prime Minister said at that event.
He also opined that Guyana’s plan to harness money earned from oil and gas production to fuel national low carbon development efforts is one that can possibly be used to demonstrate how developing countries can exploit their resources and fund their development.
According to him, a global mechanism must be developed so that the “supposed contrast” of either harnessing your natural resources or protecting the environment is eliminated. For him, the two are not mutually exclusive.
He added, “That’s why this Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is important because it has worked for you over the years but it can be developed over the next few years if you get the right propulsion from the COP28 to something very, very big.
“… and I think one thing that is quite remarkable given it was done in 2009, and frankly it was quite difficult to do a strategy like that, is that the President will be able to come to COP28 and speak from a position of credibility and frankly, in the climate debate, that’s a quite rare commodity.”
Months before, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans expressed support for Guyana’s efforts to balance a low-carbon development agenda with new oil and gas production.
The Executive Vice President told President Ali: “The ambition of your government, Mr. President, to make sure that Guyana in its economic development, in the development of the fossil fuel industry, still maintains its high ambition for climate neutrality and the maintenance of your natural riches is something we want to be part of.”
He also noted that the “example of Guyana” should be seen by the world and the EU would be happy to support Guyana’s showcase at COP28.
Recognition seems to be growing for Guyana’s plans but concerns aren’t nonexistent.Some Indigenous people are worried that Guyana’s new plans to earn from forest protection efforts will limit their ability to use the land as they have traditionally done.
“… We depend on the land for our livelihoods. When we do not have money in our pockets, we go there to fish, we go there to hunt (and) we go there to gather.
“So we fear that they might have restrictions, you know, rules or guidelines that will be made to say how we use our forests,” Immaculata Casimero, a Wapichan Indigenous woman from the South Rupununi community of Aishalton, told a New York University Forum at the sidelines of the UNGA.
She also makes it clear that Indigenous people, like the Wapichan people in the south, have “done the work” to protect the forests. So she believes they too should be adequately compensated.
The LCDS acknowledges this and stipulates that 15% of any money earned through the carbon credits venture will go directly to all 240+ Indigenous communities in Guyana. The money is divided and distributed in sums based on the size of the communities.
With payments from Hess received, these disbursements have started and Indigenous communities are pursuing numerous ventures.
But Laura George, from the local non-governmental organisation the Amerindian People’s Association, told the NYU forum that there are other concerns.
George believes the consultations for the special ART TREES carbon credits certification were not adequate. She also believes the carbon credits venture is “pitting us against each other” because some communities support the venture and want the funds, while some groups have their concerns.
At the recently-concluded National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference, an annual gathering of Indigenous chiefs, several leaders presented on how they were using the funds in their communities.
As of September, 225 communities received payments and the remaining 17 are due to receive theirs.
This story was published with the support of the Caribbean Climate Justice Journalism Fellowship, which is a joint venture of Climate Tracker and Open Society Foundations.
“We believe that one of the things that the government should do to get investors to make these sorts of investments is to try to minimise the risks they face.
“And you can only do that through a clear vision and policies that support that vision that are friendly to investments and therefore job creation,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
He too believed that there is substantial economic transformation gripping region three and believes that this new mall is a timely investment.
The West Central Mall will be open to the public from Saturday.
Le manager de l’équipe belge, Patrick Lefevere, a révélé, samedi, qu’une négociation est en cours pour une fusion avec la surpuissante formation néerlandaise, dont le Slovène ne fera plus partie en 2024.Le manager de l’équipe belge, Patrick Lefevere, a révélé, samedi, qu’une négociation est en cours pour une fusion avec la surpuissante formation néerlandaise, dont le […]
Chandelle, pack, raffut, cravate, chistera, grattage, déblayage… Le vocabulaire du rugby est riche, et parfois nébuleux pour les non-spécialistes.Chandelle, pack, raffut, cravate, chistera, grattage, déblayage… Le vocabulaire du rugby est riche, et parfois nébuleux pour les non-spécialistes.
Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud engaging with an engineer of Fidis Guyana Incorporated
Works ongoing on a section of the building
Minister Persaud engaging with Town Clerk (ag) Candace Nelson and Assistant City Engineer of the Mayor and City Council, Rasheed Kellman
vishani@newsroom.gy
President Dr. Irfaan Ali and former Colombian President Iván Duque spoke about low carbon development and the oil industry at a Concordia event held at the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (Photo: Concordia/ Twitter/ September 18, 2023)
President Dr. Irfaan Ali and Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in conversation. The sit-down conversation, moderated by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin (Photo: Office of the President/ August 29, 2023)
President Dr. Irfaan Ali (centre) alongside Executive President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans (right) and Guyana’s Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh (Photo: Office of the President/ June 14, 2023)
Immaculata Casimero, a Wapichan indigenous woman from Guyana, speaks during a protest in Glasgow that denounces an energy transition that replaces fossil fuels with mining (Photo: Earthworks/ November 10, 2021)
Ceremonial ribbon cutting to declare the mall officially open
The Group of 2023 Bursary awardees with GBTI’s Leadership team members
A woman involved in forestry in Coomacka
