Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell addressing a high level CARICOM science and technology meeting in St George’s
St George’s, Grenada — A Caribbean Community (CARICOM) science delegation is to visit Cuba in an effort to strengthen technology links between the region and its Spanish-speaking neighbor.
The delegation will be headed by Professor Harold Ramkissoon, chairman of CARICOM Science, Technology and Innovation Committee.
Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, who holds responsibility for science and technology in CARICOM, made the announcement Tuesday at the start of a second high level CARICOM science and technology meeting in St George’s.
“It therefore gives me great pleasure to announce the visit to Cuba of a CARICOM science delegation to promote collaboration and cooperation, and to be headed by Professor Emeritus Harold Ramkissoon, who is well-qualified for this role,” Mitchell said.
“For his scholarly work, Professor Ramkissoon has been made a Foreign Fellow of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and, for his contribution to the development of science and technology in the wider Caribbean, he was presented with the Key to the City of Havana. He is therefore strategically placed to open many doors for our region,” he said.
The meeting, which runs until Saturday, is being attended by CARICOM ministers responsible for science and technology, captains of industry and leading scientists in the region.
Lead papers will be delivered by Sir Dwight Venner, Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Glenroy Cumberbatch, Registrar of the Caribbean Examination Council and Dr. Arnoldo Ventura, former science and technology advisor to the prime minister of Jamaica.
In his address to the opening the Grenadian leader noted that the region was still lagging behind in research.
In 2002, for every ten Caribbean research papers published, Uganda, Panama and Colombia produced respectively 5, 4 and 20.
By 2012 the ratio had increased substantially to 11, 6 and 50.
“That is, Colombia is now producing five times more than us while previously it produced only twice as much. Colombia’s economy is also very strong,” Mitchell pointed out.
“Clearly the region needs to strengthen its research culture. Indeed, it is clear to even the uninformed, that there is a direct correlation between scientific research and economic development,” he said.
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