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EXPO JAMAICA TO FEATURE TECH SERVICES PROVIDERS

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6 months ago

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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

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Caribbean News

Guyanese Scholar and Olympian Arrested in Iowa ICE Crackdown

Published

4 days ago

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September 27, 2025

By

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

 

September 27, 2025 – In a shocking breach of public trust and institutional oversight, Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, who is a citizen of Guyana, was arrested on September 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a string of serious offenses that raise troubling questions about hiring practices, accountability, and public safety.

Roberts, born in Georgetown, Guyana, is a former Olympian and accomplished scholar.  According to online reports, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Coppin State University after transferring from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he played soccer.  He holds two master’s degrees—from St. John’s University and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business—attended an Executive MBA program at MIT Sloan School of Management and earned a doctorate in education with a focus on urban educational leadership from Trident University.

Despite these accomplishments, Roberts was living and working without legal authorization.  ICE reported that he fled a traffic stop and abandoned his school-issued vehicle.  At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash.  He also has a prior weapons-related charge.

ICE officials questioned how Roberts could hold such a prominent role while subject to a final deportation order issued in May 2024.  The school district said they were unaware of his immigration status, noting that he had undergone background checks and completed an I-9 form confirming work authorization.  Roberts was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

This case highlights vulnerabilities in systems meant to safeguard public institutions and underscores the challenges ICE faces in identifying individuals operating outside U.S. immigration laws while in positions of authority.

For many, Roberts has become a near-literal poster child for these enforcement gaps.

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Caribbean News

Bermuda Shaken by Targeted Murder as Crime Returns After a Decade of Calm

Published

1 week ago

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September 21, 2025

By

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

 

Bermuda is reeling after the brazen murder of 37-year-old Janae Minors, a mother of two, who was gunned down in her own beauty supply store on Court Street, Pembroke. The attack, which police describe as “targeted,” has rattled the island, not only for its brutality but for what it says about the state of law and order in a country that less than a decade ago was celebrating a dramatic fall in violent crime.

The Attack on Court Street

According to police, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16, a lone gunman pulled up on a stolen black motorcycle, walked into the Beauty Monster shop Minors owned, and shot her multiple times. Despite the rapid response of emergency services, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after being transported to hospital.

Detectives say the killer was thin, tall, dressed in dark clothing with a full-face helmet, and wearing bright gloves. CCTV shows him fleeing north on Court Street, down Tills Hill toward TCD, before turning onto Marsh Folly Road. Investigators are pursuing all leads, with a focus on recovering evidence from nearby cameras and eyewitness accounts.

Police Commissioner Darrin Simons confirmed the attack bore the hallmarks of gang-related violence, a chilling indicator that Bermuda’s gang rivalries — long simmering beneath the surface — may once again be spilling into broad daylight.

A Vibrant Life Cut Short

Minors, remembered as a hardworking entrepreneur with “a vibrant, beautiful personality,” leaves behind two children, ages 16 and 18. Her murder has ignited outrage across Bermuda, not just for its senselessness but for its timing: the island had once prided itself on virtually stamping out gun violence.

Then: Near-Zero Murders

Back in 2014, Bermuda made international headlines for reporting zero firearm murders — a remarkable achievement given the small island had endured a spate of gang-related shootings in the early 2010s. Police credited intelligence-led operations, tighter firearms interdictions, and aggressive prosecutions of gang leaders. Community programs and mentoring initiatives also played a role, giving at-risk youth alternatives to gang life.

By 2015 and 2016, gun crime was at historic lows. That period was hailed as proof Bermuda could beat back the tide of violence with coordinated policing, social investment, and political will.

Now: Alarming Resurgence

Fast forward nine years, and the picture looks starkly different. In 2024 and 2025, Bermuda has recorded a rise in gun-related deaths. Rival gangs such as Parkside and 42 have resurged, fueled by a new generation of recruits. Economic pressures, high youth unemployment, and the easy flow of smuggled firearms through maritime routes have undermined earlier gains.

Community trust in the police has also eroded, making investigations harder and retaliations more likely. Opposition MPs and neighborhood leaders warn that without sustained focus, Bermuda risks sliding back into the violent cycles of the early 2010s.

Public Alarm and Political Pressure

Premier David Burt condemned Minors’ killing as “an escalation of community violence that cannot be tolerated,” promising stronger enforcement and deeper engagement with residents. The Bermuda Police Service has appealed for CCTV, dashcam, and doorbell footage from the area, urging residents that even the smallest detail could break the case.

Yet among the public, frustration is growing. People remember the calm of 2014 — when zero murders were recorded — and cannot understand how the island has returned to headlines dominated by gun violence. The contrast is stark: from celebrating the elimination of gun murders to confronting the targeted execution of a businesswoman in broad daylight.

A Test for Bermuda’s Future

The murder of Janae Minors has become more than a single case; it is now a symbol of Bermuda’s struggle to hold on to the progress it once made. The question facing the island is whether the successes of a decade ago can be replicated and sustained in today’s harsher climate of economic pressure and gang rivalries.

For Minors’ family, nothing can erase the tragedy of losing a mother and daughter so violently. But for Bermuda at large, her death is a wake-up call — that the island cannot afford complacency when it comes to crime.

As one community leader put it: “Nine years ago, we had beaten this. Now, we’re back to fearing what happens when the sun goes down. That is not the Bermuda we want to live in.”

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Caribbean News

CARICOM-Africa Summit Yields Draft Pact on Trade, Travel and Reparations

Published

2 weeks ago

on

September 19, 2025

By

Imagine an Atlantic Bridge connecting the Caribbean Region to the African Continent

 

Deandrea Hamilton  | Editor

 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — When CARICOM leaders convened with African counterparts and Afreximbank officials in Ethiopia, the outcomes were savory and exactly what many Caribbean people want to see materialise as the islands become uniquely reconnected to the African continent.

At the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, held at the African Union headquarters, leaders moved beyond symbolic language to agree on a draft communiqué that, if finalized, would anchor this partnership in practical action. While not yet officially published by the AU or CARICOM, the document points to an agenda that blends history with urgent twenty-first century priorities.

The draft outlines commitments to improve air and sea transport links, including the pursuit of a multilateral air services agreement to break down the barriers that still keep the Caribbean and Africa physically apart. It also calls for visa facilitation and simplified entry regimes, making it easier for citizens of both regions to travel, study, and work across the Atlantic.

Equally significant are pledges to advance double taxation treaties that could remove one of the most stubborn obstacles to investment. With Afreximbank’s Caribbean headquarters already established in Barbados and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) gaining momentum, leaders now want to lock in the financial and legal frameworks that will drive new business.

Reparatory justice also featured prominently, with the draft communiqué sharpening a joint call for coordinated advocacy. CARICOM’s long-standing Reparations Commission is expected to work more closely with African institutions to demand global recognition and redress for the shared traumas of slavery and colonial exploitation.

CARICOM’s incoming chair, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis, captured the spirit of the gathering when he urged that the Atlantic Slave Trade be reimagined as an “Atlantic Bridge — a bridge of hope, a bridge of advancement, a bridge that will ensure our people take their rightful place in this world.”

For Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the meeting was a “homecoming,” but also a reminder that concrete steps like the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and improved transportation links are needed to transform rhetoric into results.

For citizens back home, wrestling with inflation and economic uncertainty, the Addis outcomes — transport, visas, investment, health, and reparations — are precisely the kinds of measures that can validate leaders’ journeys and rekindle faith in South-South cooperation. What was once only rhetoric now hints at the beams of an Atlantic Bridge, connecting the Caribbean and Africa in ways that could finally turn history’s tragedy into tomorrow’s advantage.

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