Affordable Health Care for All

Building Resilience

Issue 07 | 7 July, 2018

OUR SAINT LUCIA www.govt.lc

Bi-monthly Progress Report from the Government of Saint Lucia

Gov ernment

Addresses Nation

FOR

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

aLL

Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet, Health Minister Hon. Mary Isaac and Economic Development Minister Hon. Guy Joseph Address the Public on Health Care.

02

7 July 2018

www.govt.lc

At a glance...

CONTENTS

REGIONAL

Commerce Minister briefed on CARIFORUM Role

Start-Ups to receive Invest Saint Lucia support

4-5

Tapping into our young sporting excellence

6

Prime Minister and Key Ministers address Health Care

7

Saint Lucia’s Call Centre Market Grows

10

Saint Lucia has taken up Chairmanship of the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) for one year until June 30th, 2019. Minister with responsibility for Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs – Honourable Bradly Felix, in his capacity as Minister for International Trade will serve as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of CARIFORUM. Honourable Bradly Felix met with Director General of the CARIFORUM Directorate - Mr. Percival Marie to discuss issues which will require focused attention during Saint Lucia’s Chairmanship.

EVENTS

The Roots & Soul Festival begins on Friday, August 31at the Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa with performances

by Saint Lucian reggae artist Werner ’Semi’ Francis. Day two of the festival moves to the historic Pigeon Island National Landmark from 6:00 p.m. with performances by Saint Lucian songstress, Stacey Charles; French Antilles sensation, Krys out of Guadeloupe; Saint Lucia reggae artiste, Taj Weeks; Nigerian Afropop singer and songwriter, Yemi Alade; and the King of Dancehall, Beenie Man.

13

COMMUNITY

GINet launched in Micoud

Micoud follows Canaries and Dennery in its launch of the GINet and WiFi internet access zones. The GINet will allow the residents of Micoud, as well as visitors, to easily access the World Wide Web easily once within the vicinity of the Micoud Playing Field, the Micoud Secondary School and the Micoud Infant School.

The GINet facility will further develop and enhance the community and open up a world of opportunity accessible via the internet: education opportunities, business opportunities and development opportunities.

TOURISM

Let’s Talk Carnival

Roots & Soul has stellar line-up

Saint Lucia’s HOT Summer Specials

Hotel properties and other tourist attractions on the island are preparing to open their doors to locals and CARICOM Nationals for another massive summer of specials. The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority will continue its Staycation promotion but will extend the invitation to Caribbean nationals this year in a programme it is calling “Caribcation.” Staycation and Caribcation 2018 will run from June 15 to September 30. For more information about the summer promotions and the island of Saint Lucia call 452-4094, or visit www.stlucia.org

Building Resilience

www.govt.lc

03

Soufriere Hummingbird Beach Park Project in Final Stages

He went on to point out that the remaining facets of the projects to be completed include plumping, electrical fixtures, landscaping, paving of the carpark as well as manicuring and beautification of the beach itself.

According to Hon. Herod Stanislas, not only will the facility create new jobs in Soufriere but will serve as an ideal recreation spot for locals and visitors alike. In addition, it was expressed that Hummingbird Beach Park Facility can serve as an ideal option, where boat-charter operators and taxi-drivers can take their guests.

“I look forward to the official opening of the facility in August Mr. Ambassador, you will definitely be invited to that opening ceremony and I know that the people of Soufriere will be very excited, they are already extremely pleased with the pace of the construction and the number of full time sustainable jobs that this facility is going to create.”

O

n Tuesday June 26 the Hummingbird Beach Park Project in Soufriere received additional funding which will go towards the completion of the project.

Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives and Parliamentary Representative for Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques Hon. Herod Stanislaus was presented with a cheque by the Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia H.E. Douglas Shen. The funds, according to the Ambassador, will go towards a better facility for vendors, visitors and Saint Lucians in the scenic town of Soufriere.

“Recognizing the importance of rehabilitating the environment around Humming Bird Beach, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) cooperated with the government of Saint Lucia to start this project since 2016, with an aim to provide better infrastructure and service to vendors and tourists,” Ambassador Shen said.

The Hummingbird Beach Park facility which is nearing completion, will cost approximately EC$1.5 million and will consist of a timber frame deck to accommodate vending shops, central eating area, washrooms, bars and other recreational amenities is nearing completion.

“Today, I am more than happy to learn that the construction works has reached its final step. On behalf of the government of Taiwan, I am glad to present around 280 thousand EC dollars for the second phase of the project. It is my firm belief that it will not only contribute to the tourism industry of Saint Lucia but also provide a better quality of life for the residents of Soufriere,” the Ambassador went on to say.

Hon. Herod Stanislaus thanked the Ambassador and his Government and People for their generosity and gave an update on the progress of the project.

“In January of this year we recommenced this project and as we speak it is about 85% completed and there is no doubt in my mind that this generous contribution of over EC$280,000 will bring it to fruition,” the representative for Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques said.

Mr. Nigel George, Chairman of Soufriere Regional Development Foundation who was present at the ceremony, also thanked the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on behalf of the Board and Management of the SRDF. He went on to state that the Hummingbird Beach Park Project will stand as a monument in Soufriere, to the goodwill and cooperation between the two countries.

04

7 July 2018

www.govt.lc

Business Start-ups Invest Saint Lucia Incubator Programme in Conceptualization Stages

I

nvest Saint Lucia (ISL) has big plans to boost the start-up sector in Saint Lucia with moves already underway to create a policy framework guiding the establishment of an incubator/accelerator programme on island.

According to Deputy Chairman Jodi Boodhoo, while ISL has been tasked with facilitating investment, there should not be any distinction between local investment and foreign direct investment.

“It’s almost like a convention that Invest Saint Lucia, formally the National Investment Corporation, has been focusing on foreign direct investment and promoting Saint Lucia for foreign direct investment but this current board has a clearer difference of opinion in that approach,” he noted. “We believe there is a lot of low hanging fruit on the island, so if you have a strategy to engage local investors, you can be very successful in terms of the overall investment you’re able to attract.”

The new approach of ISL would not only be focused on foreign direct investment, but also local investment, and in that regard, an incubator / accelerator programme, as well as a designated facility was one of the things the current board felt was necessary.

The aim now was to nail down policy details in order to get the programme up and running. ISL has now embarked on the formulation of

a policy document which would specify how the start up space needed to be managed as well as a framework for the actual management of an incubator/accelerator programme.

“There’s a template that has worked all around the world in terms of an incubator/accelerator model, and its something we need to follow and refine for our own environment,” the Deputy Chairman said. He noted there was no short supply of research and policy papers that had been done over the last decade or two by various agencies but said there was now a pressing need for an entity to take ownership of implementation.

Invest Saint Lucia was also considering having its own incubator, which would provide a working space and offer preferred renter concessionary costs.

“It’s our way of giving back to a certain space, to the business community,” Boodhoo said. “We don’t envisage managing this incubator, so that could be done by an interested group of people, or it can be done by Invest Saint Lucia. Right now, we’re in the policy development phase, so all these things will be determined.”

Currently at the stage of figuring out best approaches and practices, ISL envisions that the programme with a multi sectoral targeted appeal will be rolled out later this year. There is also the possibility of launching a

Building Resilience

05

www.govt.lc

Marketing Tips for Start-ups virtual incubator support programme, ahead of providing the incubation space, which would provide services including education, business analytics, assistance with concept development, business plan development, mentorship, and more.

“These things you don’t actually need a space for, although you should have it, because it’s really about having these things under a single roof, but its really to develop that programme first,” Boodhoo said. “We really are pushing to have a programme finalized by the end of the year.”

The Deputy Chairman made sure to highlight the differences between incubator and accelerator programmes – the first focused on bringing concepts to the material state, while the latter was bent on providing support for businesses to achieve scalability with an existing project.

For further clarification, Boodhoo said ISL is “championing the development of policy for a start-up space that we want government and the private sector to get on board with, and we’re also looking at developing a support programme for start ups.

These things will come from Invest Saint Lucia and interested partners.”

As it pertains to the physical incubation space needed to house a support facility (a 20-25,000 sq. foot space according to demands from a recent survey), the Deputy Chairman said this could be made available through the private sector, or Invest Saint Lucia, though he noted ISL was not opposed to footing the cost as it was something that was long overdue.

1. Solidify your brand.

One of the preliminary first steps concerning the marketing process is to first make sure you know exactly who you are, since understanding this will greatly help you determine how to position both you and your company in your endeavors.

2. Clearly define your key goals.

The less money you have to work with, the more you need to be completely clear and detailed concerning your goals. First, ask yourself this important question: What does success mean to you?

3. Determine your budget.

Determining your budget simply means figuring out how much cash you can actually afford to spend on the marketing aspect of your business. For most startups, this

ISL is “championing the development of policy for a start-up space that we want government and the private sector to get on board with, and we’re also looking at developing a support programme for start-ups.

Just back from a start up conference in Portugal, the ISL team is even more enthused about the possibilities of an incubator / accelerator programme with international reach. Portuguese counterparts at the event discussed with local representatives the feasibility of having local ‘incubates’ accelerated in Portugal for access to European markets.

“They were all game,” Boodhoo said. “There are a few criteria the local companies would have to meet, for instance, they would have to set up a Portuguese company, employ a certain amount of people on their concept, and if they do that, government of Portugal through the accelerator would now be able to provide a certain level of grant funding and market access to Europe.

“If their concept has global scalability, we want to give our local businesses who go through the incubator, and go through the accelerator programme the opportunity to develop these relationships with Europe, through a place like Portugal, the US through a counterpart incubator in Miami or New York, the same thing in Canada through Toronto, and anywhere else we can build a network.”

Plans are still underway to tweak policy and other aspects of the programme, but ISL hopes to get things in motion before the start of the new year.

dollar amount boils down to putting aside only as much as you can spare.

4. Choose your target niche.

Although your products may appeal to the masses, that also presents somewhat of a problem when marketing your business.

Overall, the more customers you desire to reach, it will require more money and time in order for you to pull it off. Choose a segment, or niche, of your potential audience and focus on that.

5. Follow your audience through social

media.

In order to succeed, you need to market your brand where your potential customers are. Study the various social media outlets and find out where your target audience hangs out so you can connect with them.

6. Focus on quality content and audience interaction.

Although you may not have a great deal to offer people in terms of discounts and giveaways in order to attract potential customers, you can present good, quality content that’s related to your target audience.

7. Figure out who your partners are.

Find key experts within your particular industry and start interacting with them.

8. Listen and observe.

It’s ridiculous to think you can simply launch a marketing campaign and receive instant results. It doesn’t work that way in the real world. You must listen and pay close attention to what’s actually happening.

06

7 July 2018

www.govt.lc

Government Focuses on Centres of Excellence required training necessary to provide a comprehensive education in Theatre Arts, Visual Arts, Music and the like. With the three year process of fully transforming the school into a hub for Art education now on the way, teaching staff look forward to students developing a love for the field.

Yet another school is set to become transformed into a multifaceted learning institution. As of September 2018, the Gros Islet Secondary School will be recognized as a Center of Excellence for Sports. Much like the Anse Ger Secondary School, this center will be fully developed over the course of three years, with new programmes being added over time.

Prime Minister, Allen Chastanet, has lauded this opportunity as it allows students to ‘use their talents to excel outside of, and within traditional academic pursuits’.

Sporting activities have begun to garner increasing interest among the youth of St. Lucia, and as such, an avenue for sports development is needed. Representatives in the Ministry of Education believe that the new Center of Excellence for Sports will allow students to pursue careers in sport. Not only will it help nurture budding athletes, but encourage their interests in fields like sports management.

Medal-winning High-Jumper Levern Spencer

There are additional benefits to this rebranded school. There is much revenue to be generated from a well-developed sport sector, as well as creating employment opportunities in professional sporting careers.

It is the hope of the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders that the Gros Islet Secondary School will become the first choice of students who want to pursue careers in sport.

O

f St. Lucia’s 26 secondary school, only a handful offer a comprehensive range of technical and vocational (TVET) options to students. The focus on academia, and doing well within a classroom setting has often overridden the need to expose students to more technical and ‘hands-on’ subjects like auto mechanics, electrical work and woodwork. Some secondary schools like the Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School have managed to create a balance between these two forms of education, but many of the island’s other schools offer a small range of vocational subjects which usually include Technical Drawing and Food & Nutrition.

The stigma attached to TVET is slowly being worn away, as more students are now choosing to pursue technical subjects, and learning a skill. This is reflected in the growing student population at the Department of Technical Education and Management Studies at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. Yet, something is still left to be desired of the country’s education system.

The proposal of Centers of Excellence has come as a welcomed initiative, and a necessary addition to the school landscape. Centers of Excellence have previously existed in St. Lucia, but they were run differently from the new proposed centers. The former Center of Excellence in Choiseul functioned as a smaller version of the Technical and Vocational School in Vieux Fort. Unlike those institutions, the rebranded Centers of Excellence offer specific pursuits to students, in tandem with regular academic teaching.

In 2017, the Anse Ger Secondary School in Micoud received the honour of being the first of a series of centers, with its specialty being Creative Arts and Culture. Teaching is set to begin in September 2018. In May, a workshop sought to prepare teachers for the new school structure. Teachers received the

Champion Cricketer - Daren Sammy

Building Resilience

www.govt.lc

07

PM Chastanet on Health Care: “All Saint Lucians Must Have Access”

S

aint Lucia's Prime Minister Honourable Allen Chastanet has made a conclusive decision on the immediate future of the St Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort. His pronouncement came during a special address to the nation on July 4, 2018 which also featured Economic Development Minister Guy Joseph, and Minister for Health and Wellness, Senator Mary Isaac.

Pertinent health care matters, including the need to provide quality and affordable care for the people of Saint Lucia were up for discussion. Prior and during the campaign trail the prime minister said his party understood the fundamental issues which had not been lived up to by any party to provide the kind of healthcare Saint Lucians needed.

“We were living a dream of trying to have universal health care, but we all have to admit we are far away from that, because universal healthcare would mean we were providing access to healthcare to all Saint Lucians,” the prime minister said. “When we looked at the system we had we were not fulfilling that.

“With a new hospital coming in, the OK-EU hospital, as well as the possibility of another hospital being built in the south of the island, which is the St Jude, and the plans to widen the scope of work that was going to be done or provided at St Jude’s… the former government clearly was struggling, despite the fact that works had already commenced on OK-EU and the facility could have potentially been opened substantially earlier. That did not happen.”

There had since been changes in the decision to broaden the scope of services in the south. Under the Stephenson King administration, the initial policy had focused on first fixing the existing structure of fire ravaged St Jude, and moving the staff at George Odlum Stadium back to the new facility as quickly as possible. A new hospital would have then been built in the south at a different location – three different sites had been identified for that possibility.

The St Jude Hospital reconstruction project had started off with a budget of almost 36 million, and by 2016 had far exceeded initial costs. OK-EU on the other hand was budgeted at approximately 70 million dollars. With a budget of around $110 million dollars allocated for healthcare, the Prime Minister noted the significant increase in costs.

At a time where government had continued to run budget deficits, Prime Minister Chastanet said the expectation was for Victoria Hospital to be closed down as a hospital, and only maintained as a polyclinic. Currently $35 million is spent annually on VH, so the transition would have expectedly saved at least $20 million – funds that would have been used to offset costs associated with getting OKEU into operation.

“We were still short of $50 million in order to be able to operate the facility,” the prime minister stated, “and clearly there would be additional expenses once St Jude became operational. When we came in, there was no decision that was made as to how this was going to be financed. In fact, the only decision that had been

08

7 July 2018

www.govt.lc

OK-EU Hospital made was to statourize OK-EU. A bill came to the house while we were in opposition, to make OKEU into Millennium Heights.

Basically like St Jude, OK-EU would have its own board, and it would be called Millennium Heights, and therefore all the staff, and everybody who was hired to work at OK-EU would be part of that entity. They would no longer be on the payroll of government, but they would be on the payroll of Millennium Heights.

We reviewed that decision, and we concurred, that it was a good one.”

have access to it,” Chastanet said, adding that the zeroing in on healthcare meant people also had to be in a position to be able to visit doctors earlier.

“No conclusion had been made on how to finance OK-EU, nor how the government would fund an expanded version of the St Jude Hospital in the south.”

The Prime Minister said government was currently working on mechanisms to be able to afford for the new healthcare system to work.

Chastanet said his government disagreed with the proposal of the previous administration to increase NIC contributions, a move projected to be able to generate close to $55 million a year.

Even though the additional taxation measures would have covered the additional cost of operations at OK-EU, the government felt the additional burden would further stigmatize people who already could not afford healthcare. For that reason, his government had looked instead at a national health care insurance policy, which would be available to every Saint Lucian. As part of this effort, the government would pay for the insurance premiums for those most vulnerable in society – in particular – people who lived below, or equal to the poverty line ( earning $6000 a year or less), people who were unemployed, and the elderly.

“As we have now worked on improving the quality of health care, the more important aspect of it is that all Saint Lucians would

As it related to OK-EU, the prime minister said several options were being considered for operating the facility. The first was a model similar to that of operations at VH or St Jude, in which the board was entirely government, where the hospital’s functioning depended exclusively on the resources of the state. Second, was a potential management contract. The prime minister noted there was a long list of people who were prepared to offer management services for OK-EU, something that would still be at the expense of government.

“The longer you wait, the more expensive the health care becomes, but more importantly, is the greater risk people face,” he said. “We know there’s a direct correlation between early access to healthcare, and people’s longevity. Health care insurance will provide that opportunity.”

There was also the possibly of a joint venture partnership, which would entail another entity coming in, operating the hospital, making an investment, and helping to broaden the scope of services which would itself come with lucrative benefits.

“We’ve recognized that the additional revenue stream that we

Building Resilience can bring to the table is medical tourism,” Chastanet said. “For us, medical tourism is the OECS, Barbados, Trinidad, and Guyana. If we get people coming from Canada, the United States, or from Europe, that’s only an added benefit. If we’re now able to provide the quality services that can compete with health services in this region, and get people to use our services, the benefit to Saint Lucians is we help subsidize our costs, but more importantly, we’re going to broaden the quality and level of services we’re able to provide. It means that many Saint Lucians who are currently having to travel abroad to get health care services would be able to get those services right here in Saint Lucia.”

Chastanet said the government was in discussions with a potential joint venture partner but had kept the door open for anyone else who could be brought to the table.

With that said, the focus switched to St Jude, something which had in the words of the prime minister been a vexing issue for some time. After commissioning several studies, it had been concluded that St Jude required over $100 million more to be completed. Even at the stage of completion, the present facility still would not be of international standard.

Appealing for patience and indulgence from Saint Lucia, the prime minister compared OKEU, which even considering cost over run issues had come with a price tag of $168 million fully completed (including equipment at the 136-bed facility) with St Jude, which had thus far cost in excess of $118 million at its half-finished stage. Side by side, he noted there was a dramatic physical difference between the two.

“There’s no way you can ever say St Jude’s current structure is of equal standard to OKEU,” the prime minister said. “Yet, if we continue down the path we’re going, St Jude is going to cost substantially more than OKEU did.”

The prime minister emphasized with staff of St Jude for all they’d put up with after the original facility had been destroyed, including promises of moving into a new facility month after month by the previous administration, something that never materialized.

Upon getting into office, The United Workers Party had halted the development, but Chastanet wanted to let workers know the government was on their side.

“That’s why we have begun to do work to fix up the George Odlum stadium,” he said. “Not with the idea of them staying there permanently, but we’ve recognized regardless of what decision we make at St Jude, it is going to take time to resolve that problem.”

Faced with two choices – putting in a temporary facility or fixing up the stadium and hoping to be out of there in the shortest time possible, the government had come to a short-term solution. A new wing would be built utilizing the core facilities at the St Jude location which already had water tanks and a sewage system installed. There was also a dialysis lab, an administrative block, and a morgue. However, with warranty expiration issues on equipment previously purchased and kept in containers for years by the former administration, millions more would need to be

www.govt.lc

08 09

St. Jude Site spent on new equipment. It was a sad reality, but not without a glimmer of hope. Some pieces of equipment had been ordered and paid for, but not delivered, so there was the opportunity to those items into the new facility.

Once commenced, the new wing would take approximately 18 months to be built, after which staff housed at the stadium would move to the St Jude location. Several sources of funding had been identified, including a $10 million loan from Taiwanese government. More details would be provided as the situation progressed.

When Economic Development Minister Guy Joseph spoke, it was to highlight the joint effort across ministries as projects were planned and executed. After giving brief updates on the Soufriere Hospital (lands had been identified, as well as some funding to be reprioritized from the DVRP) and the Micould Health Center (location issues finalized, drawings nearly complete, and tendering process to begin soon), he reaffirmed that his government was committed to deliver on the best quality promised during the campaign. There were setbacks with the Dennery Polyclinic that he promised to give a more comprehensive update about soon.

All in all, this week’s health address focused on the government’s desire to create an integrated health care system, with both public and private sector collaborating. It was in the words of the prime minister about “picking up the pieces and getting on with the job that we have”.

Prime Minister Chastanet gave the assurance that improving the quality of life in Saint Lucia was a priority, and something his government intended to do in a sustainable way.

George Odlum Stadium

10

7 July 2018

www.govt.lc

Expansion of Call Centres Positively Impacting Employment and Training

Hon. Bradly Felix spoke about the positive impact of such centres on Saint Lucia

A

ccording to a report by the Associated Press in 2007, “In a global search for low-cost customer service, AOL considered call centres in India and other hotspots - then settled on the tiny island of Saint Lucia.”

"The islands all seem to be really positive, as opposed to the surly attitudes you have in some of the other places - It's cheery weather, its cheery people," Robert Goodwin, the AOL manager at the time who chose a call center in Saint Lucia told AP. Last month David Kreiss founder of KM² who first brought AOL to Saint Lucia, reiterated some of the attributes of the Saint Lucian environment that had won the company over. “Little did we know that four months after we started handling customer service, assisting members with payments and services, KM² Saint Lucia would become the number one vendor for the wok performed for AOL in 2004,” Kreiss stated during the opening of a new facility here on June 19, 2018.

The opening of a second call centre by KM² in Gros Islet, follows the company’s first operation at Union in 2004. And, the new facility has already made a dent in the unemployment figures, with scope for growth and expansion in the immediate future.

“KM² has grown steadily from 25 agents for AOL, to over 500 employees, performing a variety of services and we do expect to hire another 500 employees over the next six months,” Kreiss revealed.

“KM² is very grateful to the support and encouragement from the Hon. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet and your Saint Lucia Government and its representatives,” Kreiss said, revealing that the Prime Minister had already convinced him to open another centre in Vieux Fort soon.

Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet, said he was happy with the strides made by KM² and wanted to encourage the company to continue to grow in Saint Lucia. “We think that we have a lot more opportunity for growth and we are investing money into being able to retrofit shells that were previously being used for the apparel industry,” the Prime Minister remarked.

The facilitation of the growth of the call centre was originally the mandate of the NDC and is now that of Invest Saint Lucia. Ms. Natasha Edwin, who is that agency’s Marketing Policy Advocacy and Communications Manager, says that Saint Lucia is now even more poised to position itself as the destination of choice for the sector.

“The establishment of KM² in Saint Lucia came as a result of the island’s push to develop the ICT sector as well as create more long term employment, particularly for school leavers who are easily trainable in this new era of technology,” Edwin says.

This sector, according to the ISL official, is quickly adding to the foundation that supports the developmental pillars of the Saint Lucian economy. “The government of Saint Lucia has prioritized this and will continue to encourage development of the sector, particularly in the areas of business process outsourcing, knowledge process outsourcing and the contact center operations,” Edwin explained.

Minister with responsibility for Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs Hon. Bradly Felix has noted the positive impact of call centres here.

“Call centres are a growing trend in Saint Lucia and we recognize some of the immediate benefits such as opportunities for employment, especially among our youth, the training that goes with it is extremely beneficial for our young people,” Felix said recently.

“We recognize some of the immediate benefits such as oppor tunities for employment, especially among our youth, the training that goes with it is extremely beneficial for our young people”---Min. Bradly Felix, Commerce Minister

Building Resilience

www.govt.lc

08 11

OJO Labs to Employ 700 Saint Lucians by 2020

O

n the heels of predicting significant growth for its Saint Lucia hub earlier this year, OJO Labs announced that the company which has been operating on island for the past nine months will by the year 2020 employ 700 Saint Lucians. The news was made public at a press conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister last month, and followed a presentation made to Cabinet by heads of the company on the future and status of OJO’s operations locally.

into the development of that software,” he said. “This year net of any subsidies from government we’ll have over EC$5.4 million dollars, and if you look at our plan for hiring this year, and up until 2020 – starting in 2020 we will be providing over EC$14 million on a yearly basis when you look at compensation, the technology we’re building, and other costs involved. Our intention is to give a significant return of investment to the island, and it is important to us personally to do that.”

It is by now no secret just how close Saint Lucia is to the hearts of founders of the company, American executives John Berkowitz and David Ruben. Both have ties to the island – John not only got married here, but his previous company Yodle boasted 180 employees in Saint Lucia, while David Rubin, who spoke with local media recently, owns property on the tropical isle he just can’t get enough of.

He also noted that OJO Labs had gotten international funding of US$20 million recently, which would undoubtedly help further establish the presence of the AI-based technology company in Saint Lucia. OJO Labs currently offers jobs in AIT training, customer engagement, and customer service with various levels of training available to employees including in the areas of leadership, management, supervisory skills, and customer service.

As of July 2018, OJO Labs recorded 78 full time employees, with plans of further increasing those numbers. Rubin noted that Saint Lucian workers had far exceeded the company’s expectations in various roles leading to at least 15 promotions in the first nine months. OJO Labs would be hiring a minimum of 24 new employees per month starting this month, with expectations of taking their staffing to 200 persons by the end of 2018. That number would likely by doubled by the end of 2019, with 700 employees expected to be hired and trained by the close of 2020.

“We’re expecting an additional eight promotions next month and will continue to promote from the entry level positions we hired on island,” Ruben said, before going on to answer questions from the media pertaining to how the company planned on giving back with respect to initial subsidies provided by government.

Initially the company had benefited from government subsidies after being invited by prime minister Allen Chastanet to set up shop here, but Ruben said OJO Labs had already provided more money to the island than it had been given.

“In terms of the software we’ve built, we’ve put in over EC$8 million

As told by CEO John Berkowitz in an earlier interview with Our Saint Lucia speaking on the company’s successes in creating employment opportunities in the south of the island: “We are super thankful to have people that are passionate and want to work for us. It’s a great opportunity that we are proud of, and it’s a great responsibility. As the CEO, it is my job to ensure this company thrives, and there are a lot of people counting on our success. There are families in Austin Texas (where the company is headquartered), and Saint Lucia that need us to succeed, and we take that responsibility seriously.”

Building Resilience

www.govt.lc

08 13

Events Company of Saint Lucia talks Carnival We are also able to better monitor the service delivery of service providers over time, and make changes and improvements as we go along. This might have been more diďŹƒcult to accomplish in a short space of time if all the festivals were produced by disparate entities.

Q: Carnival 2017, was one of the success stories of the Soleil Summer Festivals. To what do you attribute this success?

TL: Possibly the energy injected into the Carnival with more resources allocated to prize money, which was increased by around 42% in 2017, as compared to 2016.

Also, some of the major national events were brought closer to the city center and this may have made accessing the events a lot easier by the masses.

Additionally, the separation of the conceptualization and development of Carnival - which still resides with CDF, and the production of the event by ECSL, allowed both entities to apply a more focused approach to the respective components.

Thomas Leonce, CEO

I

n 2017 the Government of Saint Lucia established the Events Company of Saint Lucia under the Ministry of Culture. The ECSL has responsibility for a number of festivals under the Soleil Summer Festivals umbrella, as well as Independence Celebrations and the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. This week we spoke to Thomas Leonce, CEO of ECSL as Saint Lucia prepares to welcome the world to one of our greatest cultural showcases, Lucian Carnival.

Q: What is the mandate of the Events Company of Saint Lucia?

TL: To coordinate and execute the production of national events and festivals. We view national events and festivals as instruments of national development that simultaneously contributes to three sets of complementary objectives. One: economic development, measured by tourism arrivals and expenditures, impacts on local artists and businesses, and the overall visibility of Saint Lucia on the tourism market.

Two: Cultural and artistic development objectives of Saint Lucian and other Caribbean artists, and the provision of quality and uplifting cultural and artistic experiences to local audiences and visitors.

And thirdly, social development objectives which include among other things fostering national pride and social cohesion.

Q: What are some of the things which you believe has worked really well and what do you think needs improving?

TL: What has worked well for sure is that we have been able to deliver all the festivals within budget, therefore not having to go back to dipping into the national purse to fund any shortfalls.

Q: What are some of the areas you are working on to make Carnival 2018 an even greater success?

TL: One of the focus areas is very basic to be honest, and that is to ensure that functional facilities are put in place for the comfort and safety of both revelers and spectators. There will be more medical stations along the route, more comfort stations, garbage disposal facilities, Ice re-supply points and beverage re-supply points.

Another key factor is lending support to the carnival bands and private promoters with the facilitation of duty free access for materials imported for carnival, assistance with visas and work permits, as well as the use of our physical infrastructure if not at the time being used by our own events.

We are also thrilled at the fact that we have succeeded in more than doubling the number of revelers from the French territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe to participate in our parade of bands from 110 persons last year to 250 persons this year.

Q. Tell us about the prize monies for the various events this year and are there any increases?

TL: The increase in prize money this year is for the Groovy Monarch winner.

There are expected higher amounts to be paid out in appearance fees with the higher number of participants especially relating to the Parade of Bands and possibly Panorama. The expectation is that we can generate higher gate receipts to pay for this.

Q: How would you like to see the legacy of Saint Lucia carnival deďŹ ned?

TL: On two fronts primarily- ďŹ rst, that Saint Lucia Carnival will remain the most scenic carnival there is and the safest carnival to attend.

And secondly, that we will be able to utilize all the available assets (music, the fetes, our attractions) to create a single minded proposition that can be sold to the entire world, thereby ensuring that we are able to increase year on year, the number of repeat visitors to our annual carnival.

14

7 July 2018

www.govt.lc

MINISTERS ON THE MOVE Hon. Fortuna Belrose joins celebration at festival

Hon. Edmund Estephane at the opening of the Dennery School

Minister Bradly Felix with Students from Piaye Combined School

Security Minister Francis shows gratitude to visiting students who assisted after Castries incident

Building Resilience

Connect With Us Office of the Prime Minister -www.facebook.com/opmsaintlucia -www.instagram.com/opmsaintlucia Allen Chastanet -www.facebook.com/allenmchastanet -www.twitter.com/allenmchastanet Lenard "Spider" Montoute -www.facebook.com/lenardspidermontoute Ezechiel Joseph -www.facebook.com/ezechieljoseph758 Sarah Flood Beaubrun -www.facebook.com/sarahfloodbeaubrun758 Guy Joseph -www.facebook.com/guyejoseph Stephenson King www.facebook.com/stephensonking Mary Isaac -www.facebook.com/maryisaacslu Fortuna Belrose -www.facebook.com/fortunabelrose758

www.govt.lc

08 15

SAINT LUCIA WE LOVE Did you know…

• Saint Lucia Jazz has featured some of the biggest super stars to ever perform on island. Some of these names include Diana Ross, John Legend, Natalie Cole, Rihanna, Ciara, Seal, UB40, Boyz II Men, Neyo, Smokey Robinson, Angie Stone, Amy Winehouse, The Jacksons and more. Caribbean stars include Bunji Garlin, Morgan Heritage, Damian Jr. Gong Marley, Beres Hammond, Machel Montano, Rupee, Square One, Carl Gustave and others.

• Perhaps one of the most repeated facts about the island revolves around its successive changing of hands during the 17th and 18th centuries. Seven times British, and seven times French – meaning the island literally was won and lost 14 times – something that explains its culture today, which remains highly influenced by both French and English tradition.

• Believe it or not, Saint Lucia is the only country in the world named after a woman – Saint Lucy of Syracuse. The island was given the name by the French, who were the first European settlers here.

• Current Governor General of Saint Lucia Neville Cenac served as the island’s foreign minister from 1987 to 1992.

More recently (on 18 January 2018 to be precise), he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 2018 Special Honours, as part of the British Honours System of the Monarchy.

Dominic Fedee -www.facebook.com/dominic.fedee Herod Stanislas -www.facebook.com/herodstanislas Bradly Felix -www.facebook.com/bradlyfelix758 Dr Gale T C Rigobert -www.facebook.com/drgalerigobert758 Edmund Estephane -www.facebook.com/edmundestephane758

Sir Neville Cenac

Our Saint Lucia!

The Government of Saint Lucia wishes all Saint Lucians and Visitors a safe and enjoyable Carnival season

CARNIVAL SAFETY TIPS

• Leave the jewellery at home Minimize your valuable or expensive-looking (thieves can be drawn to fake jewellery as well) accessories on the road this Carnival.

• Travel in groups It goes without saying that there is safety in numbers.

Try to carpool or travel together where possible, or arrange to meet friends at a designated location. Walk with friends to and from your car and the event. Never walk to or through isolated or poorly-lit areas on your own.

• Stash your cash wisely Avoid having large amounts of money on display at any time. Break up your bills into smaller denominations and split your cash across different areas on your person. If you have a big purchase to make, try to use your debit card, or put cash into an envelope so it’s properly concealed when you take it out. Also, avoid having your wallet or purse easily accessible.

• Do not accept drinks from strangers or leave drinks unattended We cannot emphasise this enough. This piece of advice is usually targeted to women but guys should be aware as well. Get your own drinks from the bar where possible and do not leave drinks unattended and return to them. Ensure all bottled drinks are opened in your presence.

• Prearrange transport and/or designate an alcohol free driver There is no end of taxi services available. If you’re going with friends, ensure someone is appointed the designated driver and do not get into a vehicle with anyone who is intoxicated.

• Keep a close eye on any children in your care Make sure children know how to identify themselves, or have some kind of identification on them along with the name of a parent or guardian and their contact number.

• Keep your phone close and updated Ensure you carry a cell phone with emergency numbers pre-loaded in your contacts and/or on speed dial.