Holness pursues oil and gas knowledge exchange with Suriname at Paramaribo energy summit

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness met Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi in Paramaribo on Wednesday to advance bilateral cooperation on oil and gas exploration. The talks took place during Dr. Holness's attendance at the sixth Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit and Exhibition.

At a joint press briefing, Dr. Holness noted Suriname's more than 40 years of experience moving from initial discovery to commercial production. "We are interested in learning from your journey to shorten ours," he said, adding that the two governments would cooperate on exchanging knowledge and information.

Dr. Holness also updated reporters on Jamaica's offshore exploration programme. Early results suggest a possible active petroleum system in some surveyed areas, though no commercial quantities have been confirmed. "It is promising," he said.

On the summit's second day, he congratulated Suriname on a recent discovery estimated at more than one billion barrels of oil equivalent, describing it as the largest investment in that country's history and a milestone for the wider Caribbean.

Officials also discussed partnerships in tourism, agriculture, trade, investment, and the movement of skilled labour.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told Parliament on Tuesday that new airline agreements, expected by January 2027, should strengthen Jamaica's international connectivity. Virgin Atlantic will expand to seven weekly flights from Heathrow, British Airways to four from Gatwick, and Copa Airlines to 14 from Panama. Additional services are planned through Wingo from Medellín, Breezes from Tampa, Porter from Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton, Air Canada from Halifax, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg, and enhanced regional links from Guadeloupe that Bartlett said would connect travellers to Paris for the first time.

The Spanish Town Hospital urology department has received donated equipment through public-private partnerships, including an ultrasound machine from department head Dr. Elon Thompson and prostate biopsy tools from I-Write Medical Supplies. Sunrise Medical Limited also provided a sequential compression device. Dr. Thompson said the equipment would support earlier prostate cancer diagnosis and faster treatment.

The Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation has increased divisional allocations under its divisional allocation fund, with urban divisions receiving $13 million and rural divisions $13.5 million for road repairs, mitigation work, employment programmes and emergency response. Mayor Councillor Andrew Swaby said the finance committee approved the increase to help councillors deliver priority community projects.

National Housing Trust Assistant General Manager Dwayne Brebick urged Jamaicans at home and abroad to explore property investment opportunities on roughly 15,000 acres of trust land, including prime acreage along the corridor planned for highway expansion from Mandeville into St. Elizabeth and Western Jamaica. Speaking at the Jamaica Diaspora Conference, he said overseas contributors can now register through a single online form.

Four HEART NSTA Trust teams are preparing to represent Jamaica at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, in September following a five-day international training camp focused on autonomous mobile robotics and unmanned aerial systems. Teams from Brazil, Barbados, China and Singapore also took part. Managing Director Dr. Tanisha Ingleton said the programme aims to build work-ready young professionals with strong technical and professional skills, not merely to win medals. The camp was organised by WorldSkills Jamaica in partnership with Canada-based Studica Robotics.