Turks and Caicos – Her Excellency, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam chaired the 5^th meeting of Cabinet held on Wednesday April 2, 2025, at the Hon Hilly Ewing Building, Providenciales. All members of Cabinet were present.

At this meeting Cabinet:

• Noted the outcome or performance of the cost of living relief programme.
• Approved the new administrative mechanism for the collection of payment of share transfer duty/tax.
• Approved the development agreement for the construction of a resort and staff housing development for the Palace Company TCI Ltd. Hadley Investment III Ltd.
• Agreed to the terms of a settlement of legal proceedings.
• Endorsed the draft UK-OT biodiversity strategy.
• Agreed in principle for TCIG to enter into an agreement regarding financial assurances in relation to airlift to South Caicos.
• Noted the findings of the recent queen conch study and agreed to the proposed plan of action.
• Approved the appointment of the following persons to the Sports Commission Board effective April 1, 2025:

• • Two-Year Period-
    • Mrs. Desiree Adams-Robinson, Deputy Chair
    • Mr. Thomas Ewing, Member
    • Ms. Pekeira Brooks, Member
  • One-Year Period-
    • Mrs. Tamara Bassett, Member
• Approved legislative changes to the Magistrate’s Court Act and the Firearms Act.
• Approved the appointment of the following persons to boards within the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services:
  • Work Permit Board Zone 1, April 1, 2025-March 31, 2028
  • Mr. Marciano Williams, Chairman
  • Work Permit Board Zone 1, April 1, 2025-March 31, 2027
    • Hon. Emily Saunders, Member (South Caicos Representative)
    • Mr. Benmore Kennedy, Member
  • Work Permit Board Zone 2, April 1, 2025-March 31, 2027
    • • Mr. Addison A. Gardiner, Member
      • Mr. Marcusson Lightbourne, Member
  • Immigration Appeal Tribunal, April 1, 2025-March 31, 2027
    • • Mr. Robert Fulford, Member
      • Mrs. Desmona Belliard, Member
• Approved amendments to the Road Traffic Act 2021 and Customs Act for further submission to Parliament to remove the requirement for permits for the importation of vehicles and to restrict the importation of a criteria of Japanese vehicles over 5 years.
• Noted a report from the World Bank Group Global Digital Summit.

Further information on these matters will be presented by Ministers in due course.

Turks and Caicos – Her Excellency, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, chaired the 9^th meeting of Cabinet held on Wednesday May 14^th, 2025, in Providenciales. All members of Cabinet were present with exception of H.E. Anya Williams, Deputy Governor, Hon. Rhondalee Knowles, Attorney General, with Ms. Desiree Downes providing legal counsel.

In this meeting cabinet:

• Approved the appointment of Ms. Yaa McCartney and Mr. Shirlen Forbes to the Invest Turks and Caicos Islands Agency Board for a period of three years.
• Approved TCIG’s participation in the 2025/2026 Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF).
• Noted the status update on the abandonment of claim in relation to penalty and interest for HRTT taxpayers/proprietors with tax arrears on the books as of 31^st March 2025.
• Approved the tabling of the draft estimates for the National Health Insurance Board in Parliament.
• Approved the establishment of an examination body pursuant to Section 33 (c) of the Real Estate (Brokers and Salesmen) Licensing Ordinance as amended.
• Approved the Crown Land Act (Amendment of Scheduled) Order 2025 for further submission to Parliament.
• Approved a license relating to parcel 61003/59 to construct an overwater deck.
• Noted information on Islander Status applications that were subject to judicial review
• Approved the reappointment of Ms. Sharlene Smith and Ms. Desireka Glinton to the Work Permit Board zone 1 and zone 2 respectively, and Ms. Grethen Been to the Immigration Appeals Tribunal for a period of two years.
• Received an update on work to address the South Caicos water issue.

Further information on these matters will be presented by Ministers in due course.

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Turks and Caicos, July 4, 2025 – Sustainable infrastructure is not just about development—it is about survival, resilience, and national dignity. That was the resounding message from Kenva Williams, Director General of the Turks and Caicos Islands Telecommunications Commission, as he called on Caribbean governments to lead with vision and courage in building future-ready infrastructure systems across the region.

Delivering a powerful address under the theme “Fixing and Delivering Sustainable Infrastructure,” Williams emphasized that in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), infrastructure gaps are not abstract policy concerns—they are barriers to opportunity and threats to national security.

“These are not luxuries; they are lifelines,” Williams stated. “A paved road meant access to school, a telephone line kept us connected with loved ones abroad, and reliable electricity brought dignity to daily living.”

His remarks were delivered as part of the Turks and Caicos Islands Business Outlook, held on June 13, 2025, at the Messel Ballroom of The Palms Resort in Providenciales. The forum brought together key business and policy leaders to examine the territory’s development trajectory.

Confronting SIDS Realities with Strategic Action

Williams pointed to the escalating costs and vulnerabilities faced by SIDS: outdated infrastructure, the growing toll of climate change, and market disinterest in smaller, less-populated islands. But within these challenges, he argued, lies the potential for transformational leadership—one that redefines how governments think about investment, equity, and national resilience.

“We must invest with purpose,” he said. “The model must change—governments must lead, partner with the private sector, and ensure that sustainability is measured not just in profits, but in people.”

He lauded several Caribbean countries already embracing this approach:

• The Bahamas, which connected 14 islands via subsea fiber as early as 2006.
• Antigua and Barbuda, where the state utility spearheaded a nationwide fiber-to-the-home network and initiated a subsea cable.
• The Cayman Islands, pursuing a second undersea link not based on market demand, but for resilience and national security.

“These aren’t isolated acts of ambition—they’re signs of a quiet but crucial shift,” Williams said. “Governments are not just regulators—they’re becoming co-builders of national infrastructure.”

TCI: Rebuilding Smarter After Crisis

Williams drew on the painful lessons of 2017, when Hurricanes Irma and Maria crippled the Turks and Caicos Islands’ communications and power systems, cutting off entire communities. The storm exposed the fragility of the nation’s infrastructure—and catalyzed change.

Since then, both major telecommunications providers have rebuilt their networks using modern fiber-optic systems, with much of their core infrastructure now placed underground to withstand extreme weather.                                                                                                                                                                    Looking forward, TCI is now investing in a national fiber ring to connect all six inhabited islands and planning a second international fiber cable to ensure redundancy and uninterrupted global connectivity.

These efforts are framed within the government’s National Physical Sustainable Development Plan, which promotes infrastructure as an integrated, cross-sector tool—touching transport, tourism, utilities, and community services.

Digital is the New Critical Infrastructure

Williams highlighted a critical evolution: infrastructure is no longer just physical—it is digital. In today’s world, a single outage can grind governments to a halt, disrupt healthcare delivery, or prevent children from attending school. Digital resilience, he asserted, is now a national imperative.

“Connectivity is not a convenience—it is essential,” Williams warned. He called on governments to treat digital infrastructure with the same urgency and permanence as roads, ports, and electricity.

Governments Must Build Where Markets Won’t

A core message of Williams’ speech was the need for governments to become strategic investors, especially on islands and communities that commercial developers often overlook.

He proposed direct public investment in:

• Small-scale eco-hotel projects to stimulate remote island economies.
• Core infrastructure like water plants, energy and telecom towers, and multi-utility ducts.
• Policies that prioritize national interest over short-term returns.

“An investor profits from a single service,” he said, “but governments gain from the entire economy—jobs, tax revenues, and broad prosperity. If we build the foundation, the market will follow.”

A Regional Vision, Rooted in Purpose

In closing, Williams broadened his remarks to the entire Caribbean, calling on regional governments to act boldly, think inclusively, and plan for future generations.

“We may be small in size, but we are not lacking in vision. We are vulnerable to storms, yet anchored in resilience,” he declared. “Infrastructure is not just the foundation of our economies—it is the foundation of our confidence as a region.”

With rising climate threats and technological demands, Williams challenged leaders to reframe infrastructure as a moral and strategic priority—a bridge not just to connectivity, but to greatness.