Black Immigrant Daily News

Segun Minister di Finanzas Xiomara Maduro:

ORANJESTAD (AAN) – Minister di Finanzas Xiomara Maduro, den conferencia di prensa Diahuebs, a comparti e cifranan mas importante di Pais Aruba, pa loke ta concerni presupuesto 2023.

E mandatario a reitera cu Aruba tin un deficit, cual a keda den 25 miyon florin, cual ta 0.4% di Aruba su GDP.

            Riba diferente grafico, Minister Maduro a duna un bista di locual ta e entrada di Pais Aruba.

“Nos lo conta e aña aki cu 1.532 miyon florin na entrada, y gastonan ta premira di bay core den 1.057”, Minister di Finanzas a splica.

            El a agrega cu importante tambe ta pa mira e gastonan di personal, cu ta bay na 459 miyon florin.

“Ta bay tin 217 miyon, pa locual ta gasto di servicio y producto. 250 miyon pa loke nos ta bay paga na interes pa e debe cu a wordo acumula y tambe tin 214 miyon pa loke ta subsidio cu gobierno ta brinda, y tambe tin locual ta bira e ora ey na entrada.

            Por wak cu tin 468 miyon florin na impuesto directo; den impuesto indirecto nos lo conta cu 684 miyon florin y gobierno ta premira 20 miyon florin pa loke ta concerni inversion y tambe pa fianza di estudio, tin 26 miyon florin cu ta aloca pa esaki”, Minister Maduro a duna di conoce.

            E dignatario a informa cu e necesidad financiero pa e siguiente aña ta 1.414 miyon florin.

“Y akinan, nos ta tene cuenta tambe cu locual ta e debe cu nos a acumula cu Hulanda e ultimo tempo aki. Pa compronde e situacion ta importante pa tira un bista riba kico ta e impacto riba nos finanzas publico”, Minister Xiomara Maduro a bisa.

            Via grafico ta mustra e debe acumula di 2019 pa 2022 y tambe loke a wordo produci como pais, pues e GDP.

            “Por wak cu prome cu e pandemia, esta prome cu 2020 bo ta wak cu loke nos ta produci como pais, nos GDP, ta mas halto cu locual ta nos debe, y djey bo ta wak e impacto severo cu Covid-19 tabata tin riba finanzas publico, caminda cu nos GDP a cay grandemente. Nos a cay cu un tercer parti di nos economia door di Covid, y e debe a subi tambe”, segun e dignatario.

            Na cierto momento na aña 2020, por mira cu Aruba a drenta den un realidad financiero nobo, unda cu e debe ta mas grandi cu e economia di nos pais. “Esey ta trece bo den un situacion hopi vulnerable como pais, pasobra bo economia a keda bao bo debe, cu ta mas grandi cu tur locual cu bo ta produci, pues e GDP di bo pais”, Minister Xiomara Maduro a remarca.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Some 200 families were allocated house lots in Stewartville and Meten-Meer-Zorg, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) during an outreach at the West Demerara Secondary School on Friday.

The outreach, which was geared towards addressing housing matters in the region, was led by Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Collin Croal and a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority. Regional Chairman, Mr. Ishan Ayube and Vice Chairman, Mr. Omesh Satyanand were also present.

During the outreach allottees were allowed to pull their respective lot number and make an initial payment.

Minister Croal in his remarks acknowledged that the exercise is not sufficient to meet the housing demand in Region Three. However, he noted that in the coming weeks, a massive allocation exercise will be held in the region under the Ministry’s flagship ‘Dream Realised’ Housing Drive.

West Demerara residents at the outreach where 200 house lots were distributed

Region Three has approximately 14,000 pending land applications. In an effort to meet this demand, the Minister said that new lands are being sought after and plans for the construction of some 500 low-income homes are progressing.

Also, approximately $3.4 billion is being expended on infrastructure development at five new housing developments in the region, namely: Cornelia Ida, Anna Catherina, Edinburg, Meten-Meer-Zorg and Stewartville. The works include the installation of water supply networks and the construction of access roads, bridges, culverts and drainage networks.

Minister Croal also underscored several incoming government projects for the region, such as the Schoonord, West Bank Demerara to Crane, West Coast Demerara, four-lane highway, which is being executed under the Ministry of Housing and Water. The proposed highway is expected to run 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometres). It will reduce traffic congestion along the West Bank and West Coast Demerara corridors, while at the same time modernising the country’s infrastructure and creating avenues for housing and commercial development.

The region will also benefit from a new Demerara River bridge, as well as, improvements in the education and health sectors.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly. – FILE PHOTO/JEFF K MAYERS

SOME 355 students, who recently sat the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), have been awarded grants by the Ministry of Education with a total value of $30,058,378.

The ministry made the announcement on Friday. The grants are being issued under the National Bursaries Programme and will provide tuition, compulsory fees, a book allowance and a monthly personal allowance.

The ministry launched the programme in November 2020, creating a “means for ensuring that the most vulnerable groups, most talented students, and most targeted areas for national development are supported.”

The grant awardees met the criteria of the National Bursary Means Test and were assessed and assigned scores based on their field of study, the ministry said, “and its alignment to national development, their involvement in extracurricular activities, contribution to community, country and the quality and content of their purpose statement.”

The ministry and the government, it said, is focused on transforming the education system to allow for access to learning for all.

Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said the National Bursary programmme has expanded access to tertiary education from 400 students to 600 students.

“Through the award of scholarships and national bursaries we now have a more strategic rationalisation of funding mechanisms, and we can ensure that the well-performing and talented students have access to higher education, regardless of their socio-economic background,” Gadsby-Dolly said.

Successful candidates will be required to sign an agreement of obligatory service to the State.

The list of successful candidates can be found on the ministry’s website moe.gov.tt and the ministry’s social media pages.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

FirstCaribbean International Bank Limited (CIBC FirstCaribbean) has announced the appointment of Mark St Hill as the next Chief Executive Officer, subject to regulatory approval.

St Hill will assume the post on November 1, 2022, with the retirement of the bank’s current CEO, Colette Delaney.

In making the announcement, Chair of the Board of Directors, David Ritch, noted: “We are proud to appoint the first Caribbean national to hold the post of CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Chief Executive Officer. With Mark taking the CEO’s chair it marks the 4th consecutive appointment of a regional person to an executive role, which reflects our focus on recognising and developing regional talent.”

St Hill brings to the post, 32 years of practical and technical experience in banking having worked his way through the bank from the post of bank teller.

Most recently he has driven the execution of our bank’s digitalization strategy.

“He is perfectly positioned to lead the bank at this time of transformation within the financial services industry. Like his predecessor, Colette Delaney, he is an expert in one of the key pillars of our strategy – developing relationships, whether it be with our clients, our employees, or our suppliers,” Ritch said.

St Hill has served the bank in various positions spanning Insurance Brokerage, Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, Credit Risk, International Banking and Wealth Management.

He has also held senior management positions in several countries in the Caribbean such as Grenada, British Virgin Islands and Barbados. In addition, he sits on a number of the boards of the bank’s operating companies and is a trustee of the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation, the bank’s charitable foundation.

St Hill is a Fellow of the British Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, a graduate of the FirstCaribbean Executive Leadership Programme with Wharton Business School and has recently completed the Master’s Certificate Programme in Financial Services Leadership in conjunction with Schulich School of Business and CIBC. He is also the President of the Barbados Hockey Federation. Mark is married to Simone and is the proud father of three children.

In other news, the bank announced that its subsidiary, FirstCaribbean International Bank (Barbados) Limited will cease operations in Dominica on January 31, 2023. It will start contacting its clients in Dominica within the coming days, to advise of timelines for its withdrawal from Dominica and what clients need to do ahead of the closure date.

St Hill’s appointment comes as the bank prepares to say farewell to its CEO of the past four years, Colette Delaney, who assumed the role on November 1, 2018.

Colette Delaney assumed the role as CEO on November 1, 2018.

Delaney joined CIBC FirstCaribbean in 2013, and amongst other roles, she has served as the bank’s Chief Risk and Administrative Officer. She was appointed Chief Operating Officer on December 8, 2017, and is a member of the board of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank. She also served as Chair of the bank’s charitable organization, FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation.

“Colette’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer, the first woman to be appointed to the role, was a landmark in the bank’s history. She brought to her tenure as CEO the steady hand that the bank needed during the past two years as we struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our region. Her ability to reassure both employees and clients of the bank’s stability and support helped to assuage the concerns of our various stakeholders during a testing period, Ritch said.

CIBC FirstCaribbean also announced the retirement of Dan Wright, Managing Director of Wealth Management, effective February 28, 2023. Wright joined CIBC FirstCaribbean in December 2012, as Director, Private Wealth Management.

Pim van der Burg, FCIB’s Managing Director, Corporate and Investment Banking, will assume responsibility for the Wealth portfolio effective September 5, 2022. The two executives will work together on transition activities until Wright’s retirement.

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