+1 (868) 225-4465
Ext: 5113, 5116, 5117
newsroom@guardian.co.tt
It is 2025, and despite claims of progress, T&T remains stuck in a cycle of empty reforms and bureaucratic stagnation when it comes to cannabis. While some celebrate the decriminalisation of 30 grams for personal use, the deeper structural injustices continue — blocking economic growth, cultural recognition, and public health progress. Cannabis remains a political pawn, selectively tolerated but not truly liberated.
The news of ExxonMobil and the T&T Government signing a production sharing contract to develop the ultra deepwater block (UD-1) has garnered global attention. Within a month, the latest deep water bid round, where 26 deepwater blocks have been offered, will also close. There is a genuine buzz within the local energy sector as many view the deepwater frontier as the next chapter in the country’s energy sector story. Development of these exploration blocks, over the medium and long term, is also a strategic imperative. Currently, the country needs to arrest the decline in oil and gas production. New gas production from blocks offered will help stem this decline and supply more natural gas to petrochemical plants operating in the Point Lisas Industrial Estate. Developing this acreage can also lead to new business opportunities. There are between 400 and 500 local energy services companies that can offer their services in developing oil and gas blocks and contribute to employment and taxes. But while exploiting these blocks is a conduit to revenue and opportunities, deepwater developments are inherently riskier and there are several rungs to climb before companies begin to produce oil or gas.
On the careers portal page of website of the Ministry of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence, it is disclosed that approximately 35,000 people are employed in T&T’s civil service in permanent and temporary roles across ministries and departments. That website also discloses that approximately 21,000 people work within the 14 regional and municipal corporations. That is 56,000 people employed in the civil service and in local government.
As our politicians debate programmes such as MiLAT, MYPART, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), these initiatives are often presented as opportunities for vulnerable young people receiving skill development from military-led training to agricultural projects. But the national conversation must move beyond asking whether these programmes are merely useful. The real question is: are they equipping these citizens with the skills needed for a rapidly changing world? A world where traditional jobs are disappearing, and emerging frontier technologies such as AI, robotics, and the Internet of Things are reshaping every industry. If we are not careful, we risk preparing citizens for jobs that may not even exist three to five years from now.
Recently, the company and its affiliate company, Advertising and Printing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (APCTT), commissioned a large roll-to-roll printer, a state-of-the-art machine capable of printing banners as large as 20 feet wide by 250 feet long. Previously, banners of that size would require two printed banners to be combined. The custom-built printer can print a 5000 square feet banner in an hour.
A regional private sector body has projected that Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) stands to lose an estimated US$291.9 million ($1.98 billion) in potential annual export revenue as a result of the imposition of the 15 per cent tariff on this country’s exports to the United States (US).
AS Bryden & Sons Holdings Ltd will be listed on the T&T Stock Exchange (TTSE) on Friday, August 29, 2025.
Republic Financial Holdings Ltd (RFHL) has expanded its shareholding in Cayman National Corporation (CNC).
Former Central Bank governor Dr Alvin Hilaire has indicated his intention to initiate legal proceedings against the State for the unlawful revocation of his appointment in June this year.
Republic Bank reduced the US-dollar spending limit on some of its credit cards by 50 per cent last week as a result of increased demand for foreign exchange and the prospect of reduced short-term inflows of foreign exchange, a Central Bank official said yesterday.
T&T’s inflation rate for July 2025, which measures the percentage change in the all-items index for the month of July 2025 over July 2024, was 1.5 per cent, according to the latest data released by the Central Statistical Office (CSO).
Last week, the United National Congress (UNC) Government celebrated its first 100 days in office.
+1 (868) 225-4465
Ext: 5113, 5116, 5117
newsroom@guardian.co.tt