By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Jamaica Expands Kingston Port, St. Vincent Demands FIR Revenue, and Cuba Ousts Minister over Poverty Remarks
Jamaica is positioning itself to become the Caribbean’s leading grain transshipment hub through an ambitious US$800 million expansion of the Kingston Freeport Terminal (KFTL). The Westland Expansion Project, in collaboration with the Port Authority of Jamaica, KFTL, and CMA Terminals Holdings, will add 15 hectares to the port, aiming to reduce congestion and increase cargo capacity by 25%.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness emphasized that this modernization effort — which includes automated cargo gates and state-of-the-art security technology — is key to leveraging Jamaica’s geographic advantage as cargo volume has surged 60% over the last decade.
“This project represents a vision for growth and national ambition,” said Holness, pledging sustained port competitiveness in global logistics.
Meanwhile, in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is raising serious concerns about the Piarco Flight Information Region (FIR), which is currently managed by Trinidad & Tobago. At a July 11 press conference, Gonsalves called for greater transparency, shared decision-making, and equitable revenue distribution, arguing that OECS countries and Barbados are excluded from the FIR’s financial benefits despite being within the managed airspace.
“We are part of the region but not part of the governance or the income,” Gonsalves stated.
And in Cuba, Labour and Social Security Minister Marta Elena Feitó was fired following public outrage over her televised comment that beggars in the country were faking poverty. The statement, which sparked social media backlash, was condemned by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who stressed the need for empathy and deeper understanding of economic hardship. The government cited her lack of objectivity and sensitivity as grounds for dismissal.
