Opinion

Jamaica’s Competitiveness Challenges

Transforming the Caribbean’s Financial Ecosystems

Why this island celebrated fintech By Ryan Peterson CJ Contributor It is a truism that the global financial ecosystems are experiencing an unprecedented period of technological transformation and disruptive innovation of digitizing money, monetizing data, and virtualizing experiences. Digital currencies, …

Jamaica’s Development Challenges

Exploring competitiveness and development in Jamaica By Dennis Chung CJ Contributor Recently the World Economic Forum released the Global Competitiveness Report 2016/17, which showed Jamaica improving its ranking from 86 of 140 to 75 of 138 countries. This was an …

Toward Better Caribbean Aviation

Why the Caribbean Aviation Meetup Matters By Kareem Yarde CJ Contributor Just shy of five months ago, air transport and tourism leaders, enthusiasts and well-wishers huddled at the Fort Young Hotel in Dominica to herald the commencement of an annual action …

Fishing for FinTech in the Caribbean

A new look at FinTech in the Caribbean By Ryan R. Peterson CJ Contributor Fishing is one of the core livelihoods in the Caribbean; a tradition that has transcended the test of times and transformations across many generations and islands. …

Jamaica’s Growth: Same Problems, Same Solutions

On Jamaican growth By Dennis Chung CJ Contributor The World Economic Forum has just published the 2016/17 Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), and it shows that Jamaica has improved its ranking from 86 of 140 countries to 75 of 138 countries. …

Rethinking Disaster Aid in Haiti

It’s time for a new way to think about aid By Ilio Durandis CJ Contributor When disaster strikes all masks come off. Every little problem gets magnified 10 fold. This is exactly the situation in Haiti post-Hurricane Matthew. Immediately after …

The Caribbean Court of Justice — And What It Means For the Region

How the Caribbean Court of Justice benefits the Caribbean By Jeffrey H. Foreman Op-Ed Contributor In the decades-long debate over the establishment and adoption of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the final court of appeal for the English speaking …

The Sharing Economy and Caribbean Tourism

What the sharing economy means for Caribbean Tourism By Hugh Riley CJ Contributor The marketplace is evolving. Ten years ago no one imagined homeowners opening their doors and welcoming strangers to bunk at their tropical beach bungalows or private cozy …

Why Aruba Just Banned Plastic Bags

A major environmental push in Aruba By Juliet D. Carvalhal Op-Ed Contributor At a beach cleanup in 2014 where I hosted a few teenage students from the environmental club I was volunteering to coach, I asked them a few questions …

Why the Caribbean Is Drawing Investment from China

Why the Caribbean is so attractive to Chinese investors By Dr Johnny Hon Op-Ed Contributor The Caribbean has been close to my heart for many years. I love the islands’ beautiful environments, their amazing people, and their rich, diverse culture. …

Improving the Caribbean Air Transport System

New perspectives on improving Caribbean air travel By Ralph J. Blanchard Op-Ed Contributor Depending on how one choses to define the region, the groupings of islands represented under the “Caribbean” designation can range in population anywhere from over 40 million inhabitants …

Jamaica Needs a Serious Approach to Development

Time for a new approach for Jamaican Development By Dennis Chung CJ Contributor The current government has economic growth as its main thrust. The phrase coined by the Growth Council — “Five in four” — refers to the objective to …

The Latest Caribbean Shopping Trends

Taking a look at shopping, retail the latest Caribbean Shopping trends for cruise visitors By Bill Panoff Op-Ed Contributor Shopping and retail in the Caribbean cruise industry have developed and grown tremendously over the years. As the cruise and travel industries evolve …

The Caribbean Needs Better Air Transport

A petition for better intra-regional Caribbean Air Transport By Kareem Yarde CJ Contributor While the air transport industry is complex, the challenges in the region are not insurmountable; many of the solutions are there to be implemented. Unfortunately however, often …

Op-Ed: Marine Pollution in the Caribbean

Exploring Marine Pollution and the Caribbean Maritime Transport Industry By George Nicholson and Rachael Robinson Op-Ed Contributors Pollution of the world’s oceans is globally recognized as one of our highest environmental concerns. The oceans are regarded as the transportation highways …

Jamaica and the IMF: What’s Next?

Looking ahead for Jamaica and the IMF By Marcia Forbes, PhD CJ Contributor Jamaicans Fear IMF’s Exit Everyone in the room wanted Jamaica to remain in a strictly monitored formal IMF programme, complete with sanctions for missed targets. Some scoffed …

What Will the Brexit Mean for Caribbean Tourism?

Examining the impact to Caribbean tourism By Denaye Hinds and Eduardo Lafforgue CJ Contributors While the world grapples with understanding how Brexit will take shape and to what level the region may be affected, as tourism destination developers and product specialists, …

The Caribbean Response to Brexit

Caribbean Leaders Weigh-in on Brexit By Marcia Forbes, Ph.D. CJ Contributor Brexit is not Cricket Business people often have a different point of view from academics; however, at the UWI forum regarding Brexit and its implications for the Caribbean, everyone …