TTMA IN THE NEWS
TTMA: Improve forex access to double non-energy exports
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) Emil Ramkissoon has said that the business group has set the ambitious target of doubling T&T’s non-energy exports to TT$10.6 billion by 2030. “The TTMA has been trying to double exports. We have been trying to grow the non-energy export side of it. Last year and coming into this year, we decided on a figure to achieve by the year 2030, which is TT$10.6 billion. I mean, we don’t know how attainable it will be, but we are asking for the Government support in helping us achieve this figure.” Ramkissoon spoke earlier this month in a webinar hosted by the Trade and Economic Development Unit (TEDU) of the University of the West Indies (UWI). The topic was “Expanding T&T’s Non-Energy Exports: Opportunities and Challenges.” Read more here
NEWS
Fathers group calls for major overhaul of paternity leave policy
Rhondall Feeles, president of the Fathers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FATT), has issued a call to the Government and the labour movement to legislate substantial paternity leave of eight to 12 weeks, arguing that meaningful parental rights for men are long overdue. Feeles was speaking at a collaborative “Hike and Plant” event in Williamsville, where volunteers, young couples and families planted more than 100 seedlings in a symbolic legacy-building exercise. He highlighted what he described as a longstanding gap in labour rights for fathers in T&T, noting that despite men being part of the workforce for more than a century, their legal rights as parents remain limited. Read more here
Tourism gloom ahead of today’s THA budget
Head of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, Reginald MacLean, is not expecting much from today’s Tobago House of Assembly (THA) budget presentation, saying tourism on the island is “extremely dead” and has been stagnant for more than 30 years. MacLean told the Express that Tobago’s tourism sector urgently needs revitalisation, including the reopening of major hotels and the approval of a long-requested loan guarantee. Read more here
POLITICS
Manning letter raises election integrity concerns ahead of PNM polls
The Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) leadership is expected to examine internally a letter from San Fernando East MP Brian Manning calling for action on concerns raised by members of the constituency, including an alleged conflict of interest involving a PNM executive member who also heads the constituency executive. The development comes as the PNM prepares for constituency elections from July 1. Following the issues outlined in Manning’s letter, a cross-section of San Fernando East members expressed “a profound lack of confidence in the current constituency executive’s capacity to fairly, neutrally and transparently administer the constituency’s upcoming internal processes, particularly in instances where incumbent officers intend standing for re-election.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Swaratsingh: European companies signal interest
Italian spirits maker the Campari Group and a group of European maritime and logistics companies are exploring opportunities to expand investments in Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development has said. According to a release issued yesterday, Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Dr Kennedy Swaratsingh, recently met representatives of Campari Group, makers of the Campari aperitif and owners of more than 50 brands globally, to discuss potential investment opportunities. The meeting included Lorenzo Banfi, the company’s chief financial officer for the Americas and managing director of partnership markets, and Antonio Vita, director for Central America and Caribbean partnership markets, along with representatives of ANSA McAL. Read more here
REGIONAL
New wave of investors eyeing Guyana beyond oil and gas
President, Dr Irfaan Ali recently said more than four international delegations are set to visit Guyana in the coming days to pursue investments in tourism, food production, manufacturing, and value creation. Speaking at the commissioning of two new aircraft for Jags Aviation and the celebration of the company’s 12th anniversary, Dr Ali said that the world is now looking at Guyana in a fundamentally different way, with investors increasingly focused on the non‑oil economy. He disclosed that several delegations are due shortly, all targeting diversified opportunities. “In the coming days, I’ll be welcoming more than four international delegations, all interested not in oil and gas, but in investing in tourism, in investing in food production, investing in manufacturing, and investing in value creation. That does not happen by accident, but by a decisive understanding and a bold communication of the Guyana we want to build,” he said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's resignation speech in full
Sir Keir Starmer has announced he is stepping down as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party, here is his resignation speech in full: Thank you. Thank you. Walking up this street two years ago was the proudest moment of my life. A new Labour government. The first in 14 years. A page in our country's history turned after years of disappointment and despair. The chance to change the lives of millions of people for the better. That's what I came into politics for. The journey to that point was not easy. Read more here
22nd June 2026