Saint Lucia Magazine (September 23rd 2026)

Hello and welcome to St. Lucia Magazine, your weekly roundup of the nation's top stories in education, the economy, infrastructure, agriculture, and more. I am your host, Nval Oist. In this edition, government pilots a digital innovation regulatory sandbox and the central statistical office moves to modernize data systems. Regulatory plans are advancing for the testing of digital identity and financial technology solutions as part of St. Lucia's digital transformation agenda. Glenn Simon reports. >> Plans are advancing to establish a cross- sectoral regulatory sandbox that will help accelerate the development of digital identity services and innovative financial technology fintech solutions as part of the country's ongoing digital transformation. Government officials, financial regulators, telecommunications agencies, financial institutions, and fintech providers recently convened for stakeholder workshop to refine the framework for the initiative which is regarded as a key component of the broader dig program. Director of public sector modernization Malin Nasses explained that the regulatory sandbox will provide a secure controlled environment where innovators can safely test new digital products, services, and business models under regulatory oversight before they are introduced to the wider market. >> So the regulatory sandbox is essentially an a testing environment that we're creating to help spawn some additional innovation on top of the DG project. So the two main um areas I'll be focusing on is digital identity management and um payment options. So fintech options for integration with the dig platform. >> NASA explains that the initiative begins with digital identity and financial technology as a proof of concept but has the potential to expand to other sectors in the future. The decisions have also highlighted the importance of keeping pace with rapidly evolving technologies particularly artificial intelligence. persons are concerned about how quickly the innovation is happening especially in the area of AI and so they're concerned that hey do we have the regulatory environment to really have the guard rails up and and you know to ensure that person's data is not compromised but this is essentially the reason for the regulatory sandbox was to identify those regulatory gaps in in a in a test environment so that we can now be more responsive and putting in the right regulations to support the technology and innovation in the real world >> supporting the initiative is Dimmitri Heracos associate economic affairs officer with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, UN Airclar. He describes a regulatory sandbox as an innovative approach that enables governments to develop regulations while simultaneously testing emerging technologies under real conditions. We are currently supporting as UNICA the development of regulatory sandboxes uh in Brazil, Parawi also there are identified cases in other Latin American countries in the Caribbean. The most advanced case that we are currently advancing among with St. of course is in Dominican Republic. Uh and there is another a number of other countries worldwide that they are already incorporated in their regulator regulator regulations developing methodology the regulatory sandboxes but I would like to say we are in quite advanced stage with the colleagues from St. Lucia and St. Lucia currently had the one of the most advanced process on developing a regulatory sandbox in the whole Caribbean. Officials hope the consultations will help finalize the concept document before seeking funding to implement the governance structure needed to operationalize the sandbox. If successfully implemented, the regulatory sandbox will become another milestone in St. Lucia's digital transformation agenda supporting a modern, secure, and innovationfriendly economy. From the median communications unit in the department of finance, Glenn Simon reporting. The Central Statistical Office is moving to modernize St. Lucia's statistical system. Glenn Simon tells us more. >> The Central Statistical Office is laying the foundation for a modern, more responsive statistical system designed to meet the country's growing demand for reliable, timely, and internationally comparable data. Government ministries, statutory agencies, and development partners recently gathered for a two-day stakeholder consultation to help shape the future of the central statistical office as part of a broader organizational development initiative. Director of statistics Shan Mathre noted that the consultation builds on an earlier exercise conducted with CSO staff and is intended to ensure that the perspective of stakeholders help guide the modernization process. What is intended during the next two days is that the perspectives, information, discussion from these stakeholders will build on and complement um the information that we receive from the cso members of staff. Um it would also intend it also intends to um identify practical ways where those respective stakeholders can support the modernization process as well as to strengthening the national statistical system. Mr explained that the modernization initiative is not about correcting deficiencies, but rather ensuring that the office keeps pace with changing data demands and international standards. He says the reform would be supported by a new statistical bill and the implementation of a national strategy for the development of statistics, creating a legal and institutional framework for a stronger statistical system. The initiative is funded under the World Bank's data for decision-making project which supports evidence-based decision-m across the region. Leading the technical work is the international consultancy DevStart. Senior statistician Romesh Paul said his team has spent the past several months assessing the way official statistics are produced in St. Lucia using internationally recognized United Nations assessment tools. So we are validating the challenges that the cso has faced the strengths of the current statistical system and also what are the opportunities to modernize. So this workshop will specifically look at the organizational structure of the cso. We have uh uh come up with a new organizational structure to strengthen the existing structure in the short term for about uh within 2 years and then we've also come up with a more wider organizational structure to cover the wider statistical community which is the statistical system of St. Lucia. They also examine staffing requirements, budgetary needs, and technological investments necessary to build a modern statistical office capable of meeting future demands. Particular emphasis is being placed on strengthening information technology capacity and preparing the office to take advantage of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence. Among the participants was Paul Kiteran, head of the statistics and research unit at the National Insurance Cooperation. He believes the modernization effort is essential in improving the quality and accessibility of official statistics. What is being proposed now will enable the central physical office to be better organized as a unit to serve the nation better in terms of providing statist key statistics on time and to provide accurate statistics and they can do that by gaining the support of all the other institutions within the country. Kiteran added that agencies such as the National Insurance Cooperation are committed to supporting the initiative through improved data sharing, classification, and dissemination. From the media communications unit in the Department of Finance, Glenn Simon reporting, >> St. Lucia is strengthening mental health services through training focused on quality care and human rights. Onikica McCoy has the details. The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Nutrition in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organization and the World Health Organization, PAHO WH, is taking steps to strengthen the quality of mental health services and promote the protection of human rights for people accessing care across St. Lucia. A 4-day World Health Organization quality rights training workshop brought together key stakeholders under the theme improving quality and human rights in mental health facilities. The workshop forms part of efforts to build greater awareness of the importance of providing mental health services that are not only accessible and effective but also respectful of the dignity, rights, and individual needs of every person. For St. Lucia, the training provides an opportunity for health professionals and other stakeholders to examine how mental health services can be further strengthened and made more responsive to the people they serve. During her remarks at the opening ceremony, the assistant principal nursing officer, Techla Baptist, says improving mental health care requires a broader understanding of the needs and rights of the people accessing services. The ministry acknowledges that people with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities may experience stigma, discrimination, exclusion, cohos, coercion, sorry. and order violations of their rights. These experiences can discourage persons and their families from seeking care. They can weaken the trust in the health system and negatively affect recovery. Addressing them is therefore not only a clinical responsibility as we often said it is a human rights and also a public health priority. >> According to the chief medical officer Dr. Sharon Belmar George the ministry has already benefited from opportunities to examine mental health systems both locally and regionally adding that an assessment of the system is essential if St. solution is to achieve meaningful improvements in patient care. >> And one of the things I've said to my team, if we are not prepared to take an honest look at the system, see where the gaps are, see where the issues are, we'll never get to where we need to be. It's easy to sit in a policy level and put things in place and it's not working well on the ground and think you're doing a good job. Unless whatever we implement and whatever policies we write show improvements in patient care, we've not done what we need to. >> Director of Mental Health Services, Dr. Naomi Jabaptist says the training provides another opportunity to strengthen the capacity of health professionals to promote and protects the rights of people living with mental health conditions. I am confident that you will find this training both interesting and rewarding just as many of us did when we participated in the first phase of the quality rights training in October 2025. I believe that this workshop will provide another valuable opportunity to deepen our knowledge and strengthen our capacity to promote and protect the rights of persons with mental health conditions. The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Nutrition greatly appreciates the support of the Pan-American Health Organization in facilitating this important activity. >> As St. Lucia continues to strengthen its mental health services, initiatives such as the World Health Organization quality rights training workshop are important in promoting a system where quality care and human rights go hand in hand. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Health, wellness and nutrition, I am Onika McCoy. >> Still to come, health officials work to reduce the stigma on suicide. Stay with us. When I have my chicken on, I like when everybody come up in my cup. I just get that by real. >> Welcome back. Health officials are urging greater support for those with suicidal ideiations on the observance of World Suicide Prevention Day. Director of mental health services Dr. Naomi Ja Baptist explains. >> So World Suicide Prevention Day is a day that is recognized every year um to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention. This observance is is um it occurs on the 10th of September of every year. So the theme for this year is changing the narrative on suicide and the focus is trying to encourage openness to prevent stigma and to be supportive of people going through experiencing suicide or suicidal behavior. So as we observe this day, I would like um to St. Lucian as the theme says I would like um the stigma to be reduced significantly or to be eliminated on suicide because the stigma is a big problem and it everything that happens afterwards in terms of suicide is because of the stigma. So um on the 30th of September we have a town hall meeting which um will take place in Gilelay for world suicide prevention. Also um we also have another town hall meeting in in um October but it is for world mental health day which I will speak about later but um coming up to the date the month of suicide we also had a suicide prevention activity in collaboration with our partners in Guadloop where we had a 3-day workshop which involved stakeholders from St. Lucia and from Guadloop where we just uh Godloop told us more or less about the methods and the strategies that they use to prevent suicide and coming out of the this workshop we are hoping to take some of the advice so that we can um replicate it here in St. Lucia and also we would like to um create a national suicide prevention strategy and policy for St. coming out of that workshop. >> So we have mental health services that are available to people struggling both as a first time person or somebody who has used the mental health services before. Most times it is much easier. I wouldn't say easier but I mean you understand it and you know about it if you if you've used the services before. So they usually do walk in walk-ins especially people in distress right whether it is in the community or the national mental um wellness center. But if somebody for the first time is struggling with their mental health whether it is because of suicide or anxiety or depression they can reach out to the nearest wellness center and they can be directed accordingly. Also there is the helpline the national helpline. The number is 203. You can dial and then somebody on the other line would speak to you and let you know what you can do in terms of your mental health where you can go. There's also the employee assistance program which is um the ministry of equity I think or ministry of the public service but they also work in collaboration with the ministry of health. >> 76 farmers across St. Nushia have graduated from a 5week capacity building agricultural program. Zaric Phillips has the details. >> Another major achievement was made in the development of St. Lucia's agricultural sector as 76 farmers across three agricultural regions graduated from an intensive 5-week capacity building workshop hosted by the Taiwan technical mission under the enhancement of efficiency of production distribution supply chain in fruits and vegetable sector project second phase commonly known as the seven crops project in collaboration with the department of agriculture fisheries and food security. The capacity building workshop provided farmers with practical knowledge and skills in good agricultural practices, pesticide safety, cultivation management, post-h harvest techniques, organic farming, marketing, and smart agriculture. The initiative forms part of continued efforts to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen the capacity of local farmers, and reduce St. Lucia's dependency on imported produce. Ambassador of the Republic of China, Taiwan to St. Lucia. Her Excellency Nikol Su highlighted the growing interest of young people in agriculture and emphasized the importance of facilitating initiatives that build capacity and strengthen St. Lucia's agricultural sector. This very short turn now uh is extremely encouraging because it demonstrates that uh the growing interest of engaging in agriculture and that more people especially the young people the youth are willing to invest their uh energy and their uh time to cultivate their interest and explore uh the possibility to engage in agriculture. Permanent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Security, Bradley St. Urge, emphasized that this initiative forms part of continued efforts to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen the capacity of local farmers and reduce St. Lucia's dependency on imported produce. >> This broad participation demonstrates something very important. It shows that farmers from across St. remain willing to learn, to adapt, and to strengthen our food production. Very important. Over the past 6 weeks, this program focused not simply on increasing production, but on helping our farmers gain a deeper understanding of how to produce efficiently, more safely, more sustainably, and importantly, more profitably. The farmer capacity building workshop graduation ceremony marks another important milestone under the seven crops project as St. Lucia continues to invest in its farmers and strengthen national food security. From the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Security, I'm Zeric Phillips reporting. >> Coming up next, vulnerable youth are educated on making safer choices. The welfare unit is calling on all PAP beneficiaries and persons on the program's waiting list to participate fully in the reertification exercise when officers visit their communities. Resertification will commence in Canaries on Tuesday September 22nd 2026 followed by Labry on Wednesday September 23rd 2026. Beneficiaries and applicants of these communities are urged to make themselves available, coordinate with welfare officers and designated enumerators and to facilitate the assessment process. Your participation is essential to ensuring that POP assistance continues to reach households most in need. >> Welcome back. Young people from the boys training center and the new beginning transit home are being equipped with practical skills to make safer choices. Shoy Marius tells us more. Young people from the boys training center BTC and for the first time the new beginnings transit home two institutions under the purview of the department of equity social justice gender and older persons have been equipped with much needed practical knowledge to make safer choices around drugs smoking vaping and online activity. The 2-day program hosted through a partnership between the BTC and Emy's Gift to St. Lucia focused on drug awareness, responsible internet use, and online safety. Participants were guided on how to recognize risk, protect their personal information, and exercise greater caution in their daily lives, particularly when using social media and other online platforms. The participation of the New Beginnings Transit Home expanded the reach of the initiative, bringing together young people from two agencies that support vulnerable youth. The Boy Training Center manager, Lyanna Wallace, said that the partnership is important to ensuring that prevention and awareness initiatives reach more young people. On behalf of the management and staff, my assistant manager and every single member of staff and of course our boys, we want to thank you in advance, the foundation for continuing to partner with us. As you could see this year, we extended our invitation to our sister agency um which is New Beginnings Transit Home. We call them our sister agency because they are our agent. They are underneath the same ministry as us. And we believe that you cannot You cannot achieve anything alone. No man is an island. >> The interactive sessions combined awareness with practical guidance, allowing participants to demonstrate their understanding of online safety, including protecting personal information and exercising caution on social media. An official from Emy's Gift to St. Lucia commended participants on their engagement and willingness to apply what they had learned. So you all have done an incredibly wonderful thing in the last two days by accomplishers by remembering what you were taught, what you've seen, uh what you've uh experienced while we are talking and all the facilitators who have done all of this for you as well. Let's give a big hand for them. They've done a wonderful job. The initiative underscores the importance of sustained partnerships in providing vulnerable young people with the knowledge, confidence, and life skills to recognize risk, make informed decisions, and encourage safer choices among their peers. From the Department of Equity, Social Justice, gender, and older persons. Javroy Marius >> 36 residents of forjac in Sufra are gaining practical plumbing skills through a five-week training program hosted by the Sufra regional development foundation. Chane Gonzag reports. The Sufra Regional Development Foundation has once again opened its doors to residents seeking practical marketable skills. This time, 36 residents from the community of Palm have signed on to participate in the SRTF's second plumbing course, which will run over 5 weeks with training taking place 3 days each week. The executive chairman of the SRDF, Ernest Oj says the overwhelming interest from residents prompted the SRDF together with the member of parliament for Sufra for Jac Honorable Emma Hippolit to offer another cohort. OJ says initiatives like these are helping bridge skills gaps within the community while contributing to the long-term effort to reduce unemployment and prepare more residents for meaningful economic participation. >> I really appreciate the fact that most of you grab the opportunity. That is important. That's the first step. You grab the opportunity to make yourself available to the cause. Second part of it is to be disciplined. Take this course seriously. And the third part of it is the day when we sit down here and we say out of everybody here, everybody have a certificate, I am a plumber. >> Oji noted that the SRDF remains committed to creating opportunities that empower residents through skills development. The program facilitator, Lyndon Steven, outlined the structure of the course, explaining that participants will receive both theoretical instruction and practical training in the core principles of plumbing. We'll do installation of toilets, showers, basins, kitchen sinks. Okay. But most times before you go and put your toilets and kitchen sinks and so forth, you are you will definitely have other bits of plumbing, what we call first six. Okay? You'd have to run your pipes, run your um drains and so forth. So you learn how to do all them things and do it properly. The member of parliament for sufrajac honorable Emma Hippolit described the initiative as an investment in human capital. She encouraged participants to remain committed throughout the program emphasizing the importance of acquiring skills that can create lasting opportunities for themselves and their families. >> And I'm going to go further because with that training force, you're going to get the skills. But you operate as a plumber, you would need your tools. If you succeed, I'm giving you a commitment today and I'm going to get the the monies for each of you to get opportunity. >> Participants welcomed the initiative, expressing gratitude to both the SRDF and the MP for creating opportunities that place skills development within reach of residents. >> I was about to wire a pill at my own So I was there and it just wasn't happening. You know he he would tell me I come and check you tomorrow I check in you Tuesday but guess what's happening and then I was telling my fiance and that the plumbing cost I need another plumbing course I saw the SRDF at that um last year and I regret that I didn't take it and as soon as I saw green they sent it in the in the group I just one time. >> Yeah. So I just want to thank you sir, Chinese, everybody involved for this opportunity. >> And I want to say thank you to all the young boys that are here. The young the smaller boys, they look up to you guys, you know, and I need y'all to inspire them. >> I need y'all to look beyond look past whatever that happened in the past. And I need us as a community to show the people also what we are capable of. >> With its air conditioning and refrigeration program nearing completion and a mixology course already scheduled as the next offering, the SRDF says it will continue expanding opportunities that equip residents with practical industry relevant skills. From the Sufra Regional Development Foundation, I am Geneive Konzag. And with that, we wrap up this edition of St. Lucia Magazine. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to this production, the National Television Network, the GIS team, and the communications officers across government ministries. Thank you for watching NCN Channel 122, and following the official social media platforms of the government of St. Nia, I am Nvalo Geese. Until next time, stay informed, stay engaged as we continue tracking St. Lucia's progress.