ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -Telecommunication ministers from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) were meeting here amid concerns over the ongoing problems regarding intra-regional travel.
Chair of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) Council of Ministers, Dominica’s Chekira Lockhart Hypolyte used the opening ceremony to call for greater emphasis to be placed on intra-regional travel after St. Vincent and the Grenadines Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves was unable to travel to attend the 45th meeting of ECTEL.
“I am hoping at some point that CARICOM can address the issue of intra-regional travel and put it at the top of their agenda item because we are struggling at this point to meet,” she said, noting that Gonsalves’ flight was canceled “but we are hoping that that matter can be addressed with haste.”
Speaking by video, Gonsalves said that St Vincent and the Grenadines is being significantly affected through intra-regional travel.
“I want to echo your call for our brothers and sisters in CARICOM to prioritize the issue of intra-Caribbean travel. In the case of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, LIAT moved about 3,500 passengers a week in and out of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“That number is now under 1,000 using the alternatives. So we are less than one-third of what we did in terms of intra-regional travel before the demise of LIAT…,” he added.
The cash-strapped Antigua-based LIAT (1974), the once-dominant carrier synonymous with inter-island travel in the Eastern Caribbean, officially ceased operations on January 24, bringing a definitive end to its nearly 50-year legacy.
“As a result of the preceding, you are at this moment notified that your employment with LIAT (1974) Limited (in administration) will be made redundant effective February 4, 2024,” said Cleveland Seaforth, the airline’s court-appointed administrator, in a letter to staff.
The governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, St Vincent, and the Grenadines own the airline.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said his government had embraced the responsibility to restructure and resurrect LIAT with a “vision of returning the airline to the regional skies.”
He said that the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will play a critical role in solidifying the arrangement among the governments, adding that this will set the stage for finalizing the arrangement with Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline founded in 2013, “so that LIAT 2020 can begin operations, thereby securing a promising future for regional travel.”.
Browne said that in 2024, the Antigua and Barbuda government would spend an estimated EC$30 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) to “ensure LIAT 2020 Ltd has all the aircraft needed, and appropriate maintenance and operational arrangements are in place for the safe, reliable, and efficient delivery of service to the people of the region.
Regarding the meeting here, Lockhart Hypolyte said that the telecommunications sector has been driving economic growth within the Eastern Caribbean. That member states must collectively develop strategies for the industry’s future within the sub-region.
“I urge all of us to approach our discussions with a spirit of collaboration and openness for establishing ECTEL as a transformative and outward-looking telecom regulator.
“Each of us brings valuable expertise, experiences, and perspectives to the table, and it is through constructive dialogue and cooperation we can identify common goals and develop strategies to achieve them.
“As member governments, we are committing to creating a new and robust regulatory framework …that fosters a competitive, dynamic and consumer-centric telecom market,” Lockhart Hypolyte said, adding, “We recognize the need for smart regulation that strikes a balance between promoting investment and innovation.”
ECTEL was established on May 4, 2000, by a treaty signed in Grenada by the governments of five Eastern Caribbean States: Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts- Nevis, St.Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
ECTEL is the regulatory body for telecommunications in its member states. It comprises three components – A Council of Ministers, a regional Directorate, and a National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) in each member state.
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