WASHINGTON, DC – The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Dominica’s economy has continued its expansion and that real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.5 percent last year, supported by a recovery in tourism and targeted development investment to boost economic capacity and competitiveness.

BRASILIA, Brazil – The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) aimed at boosting cooperation in key sectors that are essential to accelerating sustainable development for the Caribbean region.

BRASILIA, Brazil - The deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dr.  Nigel Clarke, says policymakers in the Caribbean are facing a complex set of old and new challenges, but challenging times can also be times of opportunity, action, and resolve.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Barbados-based Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU)  Tuesday launched its 56th Annual General Assembly saying it provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on ensuring the region’s indigenous media survive and thrive as an economic sector.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Shell Trinidad and Tobago Ltd Tuesday said it has taken a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Aphrodite gas project in the East Coast Marine Area (ECMA).

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says  it hopes Caribbean businesses will grasp the opportunities being presented at the trade fairs it will host in Grenada and Algeria this year.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – President Irfaan Ali announced Saturday that some 20,000 acres of new farmland on the Essequibo coast, Region Two will become available for small-scale farmers to address the long-standing issue of high rental costs.

NEW YORK, New York – Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis has told a business and investment forum in New York City that his country has distinctive value proposition as a jurisdiction combining fiscal discipline, transparency, and strategic opportunity for international investors.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Barbados government has announced plans for raising BDS$300 million on the local market that will be used to finance its operations and manage debt more affordably.

SANTIAGO, Chile – Delegates attending the 37th Regional Seminar on Fiscal Policy of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile, have called for the mobilization of financing in order to expand fiscal space in regional countries.

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Bahamas government Wednesday warned that the implementation of a 10 percent tariff by the United States on goods and services exported from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country “could potentially influence both trade flows and visitor arrivals.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) says it intends to plant millions of coffee and cocoa plants to provide consistent supplies for the sector decades after the last significant planting for the commodities had been undertaken in the 1960s and the 1980s.