UWI and partners sign MOU to reduce Caribbean food import bill by 25% by 2025

UWI and partners sign MOU to reduce Caribbean food import bill by 25% by 2025

St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. June 6, 2024 – In an effort to cut the Caribbean’s $5 billion food import bill by 25% by 2025, the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) on May 15, 2024. The agreement, signed by the Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) and the Caribbean Community Universities Union for Agricultural Education and Research (CUCAER), aims to strengthen food security and agricultural development across the region. The signing ceremony took place in a hybrid format at the Campus President’s Office, marking an important step in regional cooperation.

The MoU leverages the collective resources of both organizations to support the “25×2025” initiative developed by CARICOM Heads of Government, underpinning this ambitious initiative to cut the region’s food import bill by a quarter next year. The agreement appropriately focuses on developing human resource capacity and developing viable proposals to attract private sector investment in key agricultural commodities.

Professor Mark Wuddivira, Dean of the School of Food and Agriculture at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, stressed the importance of the partnership: “Today marks an important milestone in our efforts to strengthen agricultural development and regional food security. By working closely with stakeholders from government, academia, industry and civil society, we seek to catalyze change and advance sustainable agri-food systems in line with national and regional priorities.”

CUCAER is made up of renowned institutions such as Anton de Kom University in Suriname, the University of the Bahamas, the University of Guyana, the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. These universities will play a key role in supporting the 25×2025 initiative, ensuring its successful implementation through research and educational outreach.

Dr. Patrick Antoine, CEO and Technical Director of CPSO, stressed the importance of private sector engagement: “The MOA will help the region become more resilient to food security. That is why we are so pleased to be here with so many of you, especially the ingenuity and excellence of UWI and other universities in the Alliance.” He also praised UWI’s efforts to develop more diploma and extension programmes for community members.

The signing ceremony was attended by representatives from member universities, Ministries of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries, and the private sector, all of whom expressed their commitment to advancing the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) objectives through public-private partnerships. This MoU is a key step in promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and inclusive growth in the agricultural sector.

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(Left) Signing the memorandum of agreement are Dr. Patrick Antoine, Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the Caribbean Community Private Sector Organisation, and Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus.

(Left) The two parties signing the memorandum of agreement are Dr. Patrick Antoine, CEO and Technical Director of the Caribbean Community Private Sector Organisation, and Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus.

Photo 3: Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus (centre) celebrates with Dr Patrick Antoine, CEO and Technical Director of the Caribbean Community Private Sector Organisation (centre left), Professor Mark Wuddivira, Dean of the School of Food and Agriculture (far right), Mr Ian Mohammed, Director of Research at the Department of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries (second right) and Professor Puran Bridgemohan, Professor of Bioscience Agriculture and Food Technology (BAFT) at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) (far left).

About the University of the West Indies

The University of the West Indies has been a key force in all aspects of development in the Caribbean and is at the heart of all efforts to improve the well-being of the people of the region.

From its founding in 1948 as University College London, Jamaica with 33 medical students, the University of the West Indies has grown into an internationally renowned global university with nearly 50000 Students and Five campuses: Mona exist Jamaica, St. Augustine exist Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Mountain exist Barbados, Goto exist Antigua and Barbuda and Open Campus, and 10 global centers Collaboration with universities North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The University of the West Indies offers more than 800 Certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and sportsAs the Caribbean’s leading university, it has access to the largest pool of BroadCast Unitedlectual and professional knowledge in the Caribbean, working to address critical issues in our region and the wider world.

The University of the West Indies is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world by the most reputable ranking agencies. Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest 2022 World University Rankings, released in September 2021, the University of the West Indies has risen an impressive 94 places from last year. Among the approximately 30,000 universities and elite research institutions currently in the world, the University of the West Indies ranks in the top 1.5%.

The University of the West Indies is the only Caribbean university to feature in the prestigious list since it first entered the ranking in 2018. In addition to leading in the Caribbean, the university is also ranked in the top 20 for: Latin America and the Caribbean and the world’s top 100 Golden Age Universities (50 to 80 years old). The University of the West Indies is also ranked highly by Times Higher Education Impact Ranking For its response to the world’s most concerning issues outlined in the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including good health and well-being, gender equality and climate action.

For more information, visit www.uwi.edu.