Local

Ministry Seeks To Improve Energy Policy

Barbados is looking at the evolution of its energy mix.

And, Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, said it’s on that basis that engagement has commenced with the United Nations Special Envoy for Energy to look at an updated and an investment plan meant to overlay the Barbados National Energy Policy, as well as a further revision of the Integration Resource and Resiliency Plan (IRRP).

Senator Cummins made the comments at the opening of the three-day Energy Local Content Capacity Building Workshop, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, on Tuesday.

The Minister continued: “Even though our IRRP was [developed] in 2021, which is comparatively quite recent, I think we all accept that this is a fast moving industry. The developments are being overtaken by time, and the competitive initiatives of yesterday are being overtaken by the competitive initiatives of today.

“And, so even as at 2021, there is a further need for us to have updated and constantly evolving policy directions, and we are committed to ensuring that that is done over the next six months, and we expect to be able to have that ready in time for us to present at the next COP [28], later this year.”

She noted that discussions were presently ongoing with related partners on the modernisation of the electricity grid and investments in storage.

After the official opening ceremony, Senator Cummins told the media that a number of meetings had been held with local stakeholders, and the UN Special Envoy and her team. She added that internal developmental meetings were held last week with the national team, with inputs from stakeholders.

She pointed out that the necessary information had been shared with the UN Special Advisor on Energy and her team. “We are expecting that between a three to six-month timeframe, they will be in a position to say ‘2030, this is your target, this is what you need to do every year incrementally between now and then and this is what it will cost you to do it,” she explained.

Senator Cummins told the workshop that during the recently completed mission to Abu Dhabi, officials met with partners from across the world, under the framework of the United Nations.

She said Barbados will be forging new relationships going forward to ensure the island can navigate many of the supply chain challenges, as well as access skills to build capacity in institutions and among local suppliers, in an effort to forge partnerships that attract investment to Barbados.

The Minister continued: “We are simultaneously also … looking at the skills that we need, equally, to develop…. We are going to be working with one of the institutions out of Scotland to map what our education and capacity-building needs are…, to be able to position Barbados as a global leader in renewable energy.

“The jobs of the future in the energy industry are not necessarily the job of the past. The skills of the future in the energy industry are going to need to be upskilled, retooled, retrained, transformed, [and] internationalised. We are committed to ensuring that this knowledge economy that Barbados has built historically, through our education system, in a range of disciplines also, is positioned to ensure that Barbados is a world leader in the provision of top and world-class energy, and renewable energy in particular, technical competencies.” (PR/GIS)

Local

SPECIAL POLLING DAY NOTICE

Local

FundAccess To Host Legal Clinic Workshop from May 13th

Entrepreneurs will soon get another opportunity to learn about critical legal matters that are key to the operation of their businesses.

FundAccess will be hosting The Legal Clinic Workshop, which will commence on Tuesday, May 13, and continue each Tuesday, until May 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The workshop will be facilitated by Attorney-at-law Ondene Kirton and participants will discuss Understanding Business Legal Structures; Contracts & Agreements; Employment Law & Compliance; and Examination of the Various Laws Relating to Small Business.

During those sessions, the participants will be exposed to sole proprietorship, partnerships, corporations – pro and cons; how to choose the right legal structure for a business; the importance of contracts in business operations; avoiding common contract pitfalls; and employee rights & employer responsibilities, among others. Some of the pieces of legislation to be examined include the Employment Rights Act and National Insurance and Social Security Act.

Interested persons may attend the workshop in person at FundAccess’ Pinfold Street, Bridgetown location, or online via the Zoom Platform. To register, click on the following link: https://bit.ly/3Fu09Jv.

Local

Centenarian Built On Firm Foundation Set By Grandmother

“Trust God first” is the mantra of one of Barbados’ newest centenarians, Athelstan Browne, who celebrated his 100th birthday on April 29, 2025, at his home in Montrose, Christ Church, surrounded by family and friends.

One of his specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

Mr. Browne shared that he grew up “not knowing a mummy” as his mother passed away at age 23, when he was two years old, and his brother was only one year old.

Crediting his grandmother for his upbringing, Mr. Brown remarked: “I had a real good, good grandmother that raised two of us, and everything we learn before we went to school, she taught us.”

Pointing to a humble yet deeply religious upbringing, Mr. Browne said: “I and my brother slept on the floor. Our grandmother spread things down there, and she just put the pillow under our head.”

He recalled that they had to sing the hymn “Under the Blood” before going to bed, and first thing in the morning before they had breakfast, which usually consisted of “a cup of tea and two biscuits”. Adding that the hymn was “our song”, Mr. Browne sang the hymn from memory.

Stressing that his grandmother was a great provider, he noted: “My grandmother had land, and she would work the land…. We would eat raw potato, raw okras, (green) peas, cucumbers…. The only thing we did not eat was raw yams and eddoes.”

Mr. Browne continues to enjoy his ground provisions “with a little rice”, as he likes his rice with green peas, and if available, chicken boiled with the rice. “I am a fish man,” he remarked, eating it either fried or with a “stew sauce”.

Continuing to nurture his Christian beliefs, he joined the Mount Ararat United Holy Church (currently in Dayrell’s Road, Christ Church) in 1967, at age 33, and has continued there ever since.

Once the Superintendent of the Sunday School at the church, Mr. Browne is still instrumental in providing leadership to the youth there. “I have a crowd of young people at church that love me…especially when I have to talk to them…. It is what they should hear and what they should have,” he said.

The centenarian was raised in Montrose, Christ Church, and attended the Christ Church Boys’ School (now Milton Lynch Primary School). After leaving school, Mr. Browne initially took to agriculture but then worked cutting soft stone in two quarries in Christ Church.

In 1947, at the age of 22, he decided to join the US Farm Labour Programme and took the first Pan American Airlines flight out of Barbados. Over 10 years later, Mr. Browne returned to Barbados and married Monica Browne (deceased). Together, they built the house where he currently resides.

Returning to his roots in agriculture, the centenarian worked at the Ridge Plantation, Christ Church, until retirement. He also planted and reaped ground produce at home, as well as planted and cut canes.

Mr. Browne, who is generally in good health and has a sharp memory, still works around the home and enjoys reading, which he does without glasses. He also keeps in touch with his family in New York and North Carolina, and will do some travelling, but he is always ready to return home.

After toasting the centenarian, Her Excellency remarked: “You are in the midst of a lot of love, and I am sure you are going to enjoy the rest of your birthday. I am really happy to have met you. I am grateful for the work that you still continue to do with our young people because a lot of them lack direction, and we, nowadays, don’t take enough time to sit down and speak with them…. We don’t remind them that they are important, that they are somebody.”

Mr. Browne responded: “You got to make them understand what … the Lord expects of them… We have to acknowledge the Lord.”

Mr. Browne has two children, 10 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. (PR/GIS)

Caption: President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, and Barbados’ newest centenarian Athelstan Browne take a walk outside during his birthday celebrations in Montrose, Christ Church