GLEANER•
‘We are small, but we are capable’, says OOCUR director
Dr Marsha Atherley-Ikechi, the executive director of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR), says that while aspects of some Caribbean countries’ regulatory structures need improvement, the Caribbean region has the potential for advancement, including in the areas of renewable energy and telecommunications technology.Atherley-Ikechi, who was giving an overview of OOCUR’s just-concluded 20th conference, in Trelawny, which was held under this year’s theme, ‘Navigating Caribbean Regulatory Challenges: Opportunities, Innovations, and Collaborations’.“On regulatory innovation, our own community showed up, including Barbados, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Suriname, Curacao, Bermuda, and Jamaica, with regulators and service providers sharing what is working, what is not working, and what it actually costs to sit on a decision too long,” she said. “This kind of candour is what OOCUR exists to protect and promote.“We are also discussing the issue of CARICOM’s proposal for a single regional competition and utility regulator