For Immediate Release: Castries, St. Lucia, March 12th, 2025
SLASPA To Update Business Community on Major Intiatives
In a continued framework of regular dialogue and collaboration around tough issues, the St. Lucia Air and Seaports Authority will on Friday March 21st present a detailed update on its Major Initatives of upgrade and problem resolution strategies to members of the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture at an Executive Luncheon.
This Executive Luncheon follows a similar path of problem identification, solution development and open dialogue on enhancement strategies that the Chamber has pursued with border agencies that directly impact trade, such as the Customs & Excise Department.
SLASPA will update the business community on their work, including plans for increasing the number of critical pieces of equipment, enhancing port operational efficiency and strengthening and improving the infrastructure at the Castries Seaport. Specifically, the project to strengthen a collapsed berth that restricts access and hinders the speed of moving cargo from ships, will be a central plank of the presentation. SLASPA will also update the Business Community on the Hewanorra International Airport development Project, that has been long slated for expansion.
The Luncheon is timely as the St. Lucia Chamber has been agitating for improvements to SLASPA services and has sought a meeting with key Ministers, including, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Ports, Minister of Commerce and the relevant Permanent Secretaries to lobby for greater support and attention to SLASPA from the highest echelons of government. To date there has been no success in having this meeting.
Nonetheless, the Chamber continues to work with SLASPA and serves as an interlocuter between a disgruntled membership and the struggling Authority weighed down, by inter alia; old and failing infrastructure, insufficient equipment, outdated tariffs and regulations, cumbersome industrial relationships compounded by global shipping issues.
The Chamber remains convinced that special, focused, bold, and decisive attention needs to be given to SLASPA at this critical stage. SLASPA is seen by the Chamber as a major institutional clog in the economic engine of St. Lucia’s and if the Agency does not get the required support, it’s their difficulties can undermine the recent shoots of economic growth, negatively impacting the social and economic welfare of citizens.
The Executive Luncheon will provide updates on SLASPAs progress in addressing the above issues and its work plan for the major projects. The Executive Luncheon is scheduled to commence at 12:30 p.m. at the Coco Creole Conference Center Rodney Bay Gros Islet. Members are invited to register early for this most informative event.
ENDS
For Further information Contact: Brian Louisy, 423165 or info@stluciachamber.org