Caribbean News
EXPO JAMAICA TO FEATURE TECH SERVICES PROVIDERS
KINGSTON, April 2 (JIS): Expo Jamaica 2025 will feature exhibits by 10 information and communications technology (ICT) providers as organisers place greater focus on the technology services sector this year.
These export-ready firms, which have benefited from support through the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) Export Max programme, will be connected with relevant international buyers as they seek out new markets.
Export Max is designed to strengthen exporters and export-ready Jamaican companies through business development and market penetration support.
Speaking with JIS News, Executive Director of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), Kamesha Turner Blake, notes that, historically, the expo has focused on manufacturers and exporters, but “we have now started focusing on our service providers”.
“This is the year that we modernise the show. We have been working very hard to look at the experience of the show and to increase our focus on technology and innovation,” she says.
“We know that the Jamaican brand is associated with quality services, so this year’s expo will feature a Tech Village, and that will be put on through the JAMPRO Export Max programme,” she informs.
Dubbed the largest and most influential exhibition and trade show in the English-speaking Caribbean, exclusively showcasing Jamaican-made products and services, Expo Jamaica brings together buyers and suppliers to network and do business.
This year’s event will be held from Thursday (April 3) to Sunday (April 6) at the National Arena and the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.
The four-day tradeshow, under the theme ‘Global Partnership, Local Impact: Advancing Jamaica’s Reach’, is organised by the JMEA in partnership with JAMPRO.
It will feature 260 exhibitors in the areas of food and beverage, fashion, technology, professional services, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, art, as well as product displays, demonstrations, and exclusive deals.
A record 771 buyers will be participating in the event, surpassing the target of 700. The number incudes 352 international buyers from more than 25 countries, including Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Ghana, Oman, Macedonia, Senegal, India, and China.
Expo Jamaica 2025 will include repeat buyers from overseas, reinforcing the global interest in ‘Brand Jamaica’ and Jamaican goods and services.
On Thursday and Friday, JAMPRO will facilitate networking sessions between buyers and suppliers, with targeted initiatives for new and
emerging markets. The expo will be open to the public on Friday between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Chairman of the Expo Jamaica Organising Committee, Aswad Morgan, tells JIS News that more than 20,000 persons are expected to attend the tradeshow over the four days. Mr. Morgan notes that matching buyers and sellers based to their specific needs continues to be the focus of the showcase, with the objective of generating solid business relationships.
“We have made sure to do a lot of matchmaking to make sure that everybody connects and at the end of the day, the real reason we are there is to do business and to make sure that a solid connection is made,” he says.
Mr. Morgan notes that this year the Expo will feature several new, innovative products and services.
“We are going to have a lot more of the smaller to medium-sized companies on display with their own new products,” he says.
“A lot of these companies have big, export ambitions or desire to take their goods overseas; we are going to see a lot of that on show… . We always try to increase and improve all facets of the show. This is the platform to introduce all new products and test the market,” he adds.
Vice President of Exports, JAMPRO, Sonja Linton, says Expo Jamaica directly aligns with the entity’s strategic objectives to actively enable and increase exports and proactively seek to facilitate investment projects and linkages, by connecting local businesses to international markets and opening new avenues for Jamaican products.
She notes that approximately 50 per cent of the Export Max cohort seven beneficiaries will be participating in the tradeshow.
“Part of helping these companies is enabling them to access overseas markets. Expo Jamaica is the largest trade show of its kind in the Caribbean. Our Export Max cohort seven participants, including the tech firms, will be showcasing at Expo Jamaica. We will have members there holding booth spaces and showcasing their brand to the world. It will be a great opportunity to connect with local as well as international buyers,” she says.
Expo Jamaica is a dynamic platform for fostering international partnerships and showcasing Jamaica’s economic potential.
This year, it is anticipated that there will be record-breaking participation from exhibitors, buyers and consumers, demonstrating the vibrancy and potential of Jamaica’s manufacturing services and export sectors.
Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill (third left), joins in displaying the Expo Jamaica 2025 logo at the recent media launch of the event at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. From left are Executive Director of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), Kamesha Turner-Blake; President of the JMEA, Sydney Thwaites; Chair of the Expo Jamaica Committee, Aswad Morgan; and Deputy President, JMEA, Kathryn Silvera. Expo Jamaica will be held from Thursday (April 3) to Sunday (April 6) at the National Arena and the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.
Photo Contributed:
Expo-Jamaica-new-logo
The Expo Jamaica 2025 logo
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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