Recording artist Jada Kingdom has announced the release of her highly anticipated new EP, Just A Girl In A Money Man’s World, set to drop on January 21, 2026.
The project follows a breakthrough year for the artist and further cements her status as a singular and influential voice in contemporary music. Known for bridging modern dancehall, pop and R&B, Jada continues to push creative boundaries while maintaining a strong cultural identity.
Throughout 2025, Jada Kingdom remained a commanding presence across music, media and live performance spaces. She released some standout singles, including Can’t Tell Me That, Only You, and the viral hit GAD. An in-studio performance accompanied the release of GAD on On The Radar, which quickly went viral, amassing over one million views across Instagram and TikTok within days.
Released on March 21, 2025, GAD went on to achieve notable commercial success in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. The track peaked at number three on Apple Music’s Top 25 Kingston Chart, making it the highest-charting song by a female artist at the time. It also earned Top 5 Shazam placements in multiple countries, highlighting its widespread appeal and cultural impact.
Critical response to the single was equally strong. Billboard praised the artiste’s ability to challenge local slang while injecting a feminist perspective, calling the track “terrific”. Stereogum described the production as nostalgic yet forward-thinking, dubbing it “a 2000s pop revival”. Additional praise came from outlets including HNHH, Kaboom Mag, The Star, Caribbean National Weekly, and MusicxClusives.
Jada Kingdom’s live performances throughout 2025 further demonstrated her growing international reach. In May, she delivered a commanding United States (US) appearance at UBS Arena in New York. This was followed by a London performance at the Soak’d Pineapple x SANDZ Ultra Weekend in August, before culminating with her headlining performance at Vybz Kartel’s Freedom Street Europe concert-event in Malta in September. (Jamaica Observer)
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland – Dozens of people were killed and around 100 injured, most of them seriously, after fire tore through a crowded bar during a New Year’s Eve party in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, officials said on Thursday.
Fire broke out at 1.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) in a bar called “Le Constellation” in the resort in southwestern Switzerland, which locals said was popular with teenagers. The cause of the blaze, which was initially reported as an explosion, remains unclear but authorities said it appeared to be an accident rather than an attack.
Swiss police said “tens” of people were presumed dead with around 100 injured, and the Italian foreign ministry said information from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths. Swiss officials declined to give a specific figure.
“There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead,” said 21-year-old local Samuel Rapp, who saw the aftermath of the fire. “They had jackets over their faces—well, that’s what I saw, nothing more.”
Video footage showed lines of ambulances queuing and helicopters landing to take victims to nearby hospitals and specialist burns units in other Swiss cities.
Two young French women who said they were in the bar told France’s BFM TV that they saw the fire start in the basement section of the club after a bottle containing “birthday candles” was held up too close to the wooden ceiling.
“The fire spread across the ceiling super quickly,” one of the two women, who identified themselves as Emma and Albane, told BFM TV. The pair said they were able to climb a narrow staircase to the ground floor and escape the building. Minutes later, the fire had reached the ground floor too, they said.
BFM showed video of a waitress carrying a champagne bottle with a lit ‘fountain candle’ through the bar, in line with the account, but the video did not show the fire taking hold.
Video footage verified by Reuters showed fire spreading from the building, with people outside the club, some of them running and screaming.
Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told Sky TG24 local authorities had told him the blaze was started by someone letting off a firework inside the bar which set fire to the ceiling. He was in Crans-Montana, where he said a number of Italians had gathered seeking information about missing relatives or friends.
He declined to say if there were any Italian victims but witnesses said many of those in the bar appeared to be from other countries.
Witnesses described injured being treated in improvised triage centres set up in a nearby bar and in a branch of UBS bank and said many suffered after coming out of the heat of the bar into the freezing night air.
“And then it was just ambulances coming back and forth as much as possible,” said Dominic Dubois, who witnessed the frantic scenes as the bodies were brought out.
A waiter in a restaurant near to the bar who declined to be named said that first responders approached staff overnight asking for table cloths to cover the bodies to conceal them from onlookers.
On Thursday morning, hours after the explosion, footage from the street outside showed the area cordoned off, with forensic tents behind white screens set up in front of the bar, one of many in Crans-Montana, a fashionable ski centre with an array of boutiques, luxury hotels and restaurants.
“I know someone who might have been among the victims and I can’t reach her. I’m very worried,” said local resident Karine Spreng. “I’m going to try to contact other people who know this woman to see if she is still alive.”
The daytime scene, with small groups of people, some in tears or carrying flowers, was a stark contrast to the panic and confusion that officials said faced first responders who arrived when the alarm was raised.
“The first responders – the firefighters and police officers – arrived at a scene of chaos, at a dramatic scene,” Stephane Ganzer, head of security for Valais canton, told reporters.
He said some of the victims were from other countries, hundreds of personnel were working on the case and a helpline had been opened for relatives. Officials said the grim task of identifying badly burned bodies would take a considerable time.
“I can’t hide from you that we are all shaken by what happened overnight in Crans,” the canton’s head of police, Frederic Gisler, told the press conference. “Our count is about 100 injured, most seriously, and unfortunately tens of people are presumed dead,” he said, adding that patients had been dispatched to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich.
Local prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said a full investigation had been opened into the incident at the bar, which Swiss company records indicated was owned by a French couple.
“At the moment we are considering this a fire and we are not considering the possibility of an attack,” she told a press conference.
Swiss Federal President Guy Parmelin expressed shock at the scale of the disaster, which came less than a year after a fire in a club in North Macedonia killed 59 people.
“What was meant to be a moment of joy turned, on the first day of the year in Crans-Montana, into mourning that touches the entire country and far beyond,” he said on the social media platform X, expressing condolences.
The foreign ministers of neighbouring Italy and Germany and other countries including the United States expressed condolences but there was no immediate confirmation of the nationality of any of the victims.
Prosecutor Pilloud said authorities were trying to get the bodies of the victims to their families.
“A lot of resources have been put into forensics to identify the victims. These resources are intended to allow us to get the bodies to the families as soon as possible,” she said.
Earlier, police said many people were being treated for burns and that the area had been completely closed off, with a no-fly zone imposed over Crans-Montana, which is due to host next year’s Alpine World Ski Championships. Authorities said 10 helicopters and 40 ambulances had been deployed. (Reuters)
Fellow workers, brothers and sisters of the NUPW, and the wider Public Service.
As we welcome the start of a new year, I extend warm greetings to you and your families. This season brings renewed hope, purpose, and a moment to reflect on our progress and the road ahead.
2025 brought forward challenges, but also created meaningful gains for public workers. Together, we upheld our mission to protect workers’ rights, strengthen the Public Service, and maintain fairness, respect, and accountability at the center of governance.
We would like to commend the government on recognizing the importance of job security and stability to those members of the public service. The long-awaited regularization of officers acting in various posts for over three years or more.
After an extended period of uncertainty, many officers finally received their deserved confirmation and recognition, and we would like to congratulate those officers. We also continue to closely monitor national priorities affecting the Public Service, including the Job Evaluation Exercise, which is a critical facet to ensure fair and transparent compensation for the public service.
As departments transition into State-Owned Enterprises, the NUPW remains dedicated to safeguarding rights, working conditions, and job security. Change must never disadvantage or come at the expense of workers, and we will continue to be steadfast, just, and present at every stage.
With 2026 arriving, we will also be preparing for upcoming salary negotiations, where the focus is not only on the monetary increases but also on improvements in terms and conditions for workers. — With the rising cost of living and the economic pressure facing workers and their families….
Let it be clear! The NUPW will advocate firmly for fair compensation and conditions that reflect the value of public servants to national development. Our work does not only focus on wages and conditions. We will also commit to strengthening industrial relations, empowering shop stewards, and ensuring workers’ voices are heard wherever decisions are made.
To our members, I would like to thank you for your resilience and trust. To our stewards and executive branch — thank you for your tireless service and dedication.
To the wider public service, rest assured that we remain committed to professionalism, progress, and people-centered development.
As we step into this new year, let us do so with confidence, unity, and purpose. Together, we will continue building a stronger union, a stronger public service, and a stronger Barbados.
On behalf of the Executive, National Council, and staff of the National Union of Public Workers, I wish you a safe, prosperous, and successful New Year.
Thank you, and may the year ahead be one of progress, positivity, and possibility.
As the Barbados Workers’ Union marches toward 85, we do so grounded in the wisdom of our past and strengthened by the confidence earned through struggle. Much around us has changed — the nature of work, the expectations of workers, the demand for new skills. Yet so much remains the same – our demand for: fairness, unity, dignity, respect. That is why, after 85 years, we are still here. Still fighting. Still standing.
This march to 85 is not a countdown. It is a declaration of purpose. We are claiming ground — we are RECLAIMING ground — because every day calls us to the fight, and every fight reminds us that the BWU remains a necessary force in the lives of working people.
As Barbados approaches 60 years of Independence and continues to define itself as a Republic in its 5th year, this is the moment for working people to insist that national milestones must carry national meaning. Progress must be matched with protection. Pride must be matched with power. And every step forward must be anchored in the STRENGTH – the real strength of our people.
In 2025, we were reminded under our BET WHO BET YOU campaign that progress is never gifted. It is organised, it is negotiated, it is demanded.
We saw major movement on worker‑centred policy. Among others we saw expanded family leave, paid paternity leave, stronger maternity protections, increased minimum wage, increase in the tax free allowance for union membership. These are not abstract reforms. They are real improvements in the lives of mothers, fathers, and families.
We were reminded that when labour pushes, the country shifts. And we will keep pushing, because wages must mean more than survival. A minimum wage must reflect a living wage. And decent wages must be matched by decent hours — not exhaustion, not exploitation.
Turning to accountability, let me be clear – accountability is not theatre. It is stewardship. And the BWU will continue to call names where there are issues of accountability.
At the start of 2025, we raised serious concerns about Sandals. Since then, meetings have taken place, yes — but meetings are not outcomes. Smiles are not solutions. Handshakes do not erase hardship. We have watched terminations on the face of minor charges and absence of evidence. We have watched the patterns. And we will not pretend that all is well because all is NOT well.
We must also speak plainly about Standard — and by extension the wider ANSA McAL corporate environment — where workers across the group are watching anxiously and asking, Are we next?
Standard Distribution announced its intention to close operations by December 31, 2025, yet meaningful consultation has still not taken place — a situation that exposes a troubling gap in our Employment Rights Act, where the company has taken the position that because Section 31(6) requires consultation with “the affected employee or their representative,” there was no need to speak with the BWU.
We know — and Barbados knows — that this interpretation is not in keeping with the spirit of the law, which throughout recognises the trade union as the representative for bargaining where one exists.
December 31st has passed, but this issue will not. Not when this conglomerate operates through multiple companies here. And not when the bigger fight — one which every citizen should care about — has to be to ensure that companies that invest in Barbados are not allowed to undermine our workers. Conglomerates must not enter Barbados and behave as though our workers are disposable, our labour laws optional, or our industrial climate is something to be managed from afar. Barbados is not a playground for corporate disregard.
We do not accept it from local companies, and we will not celebrate investment as a developmental win when it undermines our people.
2026 must be a year of tightening laws, strengthening enforcement, and demanding accountability.
Now where companies do right, we will say so. After years of struggle, 2025 brought a breakthrough with KFC. The work continues, but progress — even slow progress — is still progress. That is what mature industrial relations looks like: disagreement where necessary, partnership where possible, and respect always as the baseline.
Comrades, we must also speak about the NISSS. If Barbados drifts into a labour market dominated by insecure contract work, we will create a future where too many workers reach retirement only to find the system cannot catch them. In 2026, we will press harder against casualisation — in the public and private sectors — because workers deserve stable work, stable contributions, and a stable future.
2026 must not only be a year of milestones but a year of meaning.
Meaning for casual workers who deserve formal employment — and where casual work is justified, to ensure contributions are made to protect them now and into retirement.
Meaning for public sector workers waiting too long for job evaluation and fair salary negotiations.
Meaning for construction workers who watch their bosses prosper — including under public contracts — while they remain underpaid, unprotected, and outside the social security net.
Companies benefiting from public contracts must not be allowed to exploit workers, whether local or migrant.
Underpayment must stop.
Substandard housing for migrant workers must stop.
Using contract arrangements unscrupulously to avoid paying benefits must stop.
You know who you are and so do we.
So companies operating under the INFRA model must prepare themselves, because we will push the Labour Department and the wider Government to address these breaches and bring parity within companies, across companies, and across this country.
We therefore welcome the strengthening of the Labour Department to ensure better enforcement and accountability.
Comrades and friends, as we march to 85, let us march with discipline, clarity, and courage. Let us support the employers who respect workers, and challenge those who believe they can out‑wait justice.
Unity is still our strength. Solidarity still has stamina. And the Barbados Workers’ Union will continue shaping the future of work in Barbados — not with noise, but with results.
On behalf of the Executive Council of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Happy New Year. May 2026 bring progress, protection, and renewed solidarity.
As we bring 2025 to a close, I extend warm greetings to Barbadians at home and abroad, and especially to the thousands of citizens who place their trust, savings, and future aspirations in our credit unions.
This season provides an important opportunity not only to reflect on the year past, but to reaffirm the Credit Union League’s clear and unwavering commitment to protecting the interests of members as our sector adapts to a changing financial landscape.
The past year has been one of steady progress and meaningful transition. Barbados’ credit union sector has remained financially resilient, recording continued growth in membership, savings, loans, and assets. In an environment marked by economic uncertainty and regulatory change, this performance speaks to the strength of cooperative values, prudent management, and the confidence members continue to have in their institutions.
At the League level, our focus throughout 2025 was deliberate and member-centred. We strengthened advocacy, deepened engagement with regulators, expanded training and technical support, and worked closely with affiliates to help them operate confidently within an increasingly complex regulatory and risk environment.
Central to all our efforts was a simple principle: that any change affecting the sector must ultimately serve and protect credit union members.
A defining feature of the latter part of the year was preparation for a major system change that will shape the future of the movement, through the introduction of deposit insurance.
The decade long period of lobbying has borne fruit. The transformative development is imminent. Deposit insurance will level the playing field for working class and middle-income credit union savers. It will also influence governance expectations, operational readiness, and public confidence across the sector.
While more work still has to be done, the goal is clear. The League has remained actively engaged with the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Barbados Deposit Insurance Corporation (BDIC) to ensure that implementation is proportionate and aligned with cooperative values. Our role is to advocate firmly for frameworks that promote safety and stability, while preserving this worthy and proven member-owned model that has served Barbadians so well for generations.
Beyond deposit insurance, the sector made progress in several critical areas. Credit unions continued to invest in training and capacity building for boards, management, and staff.
Sector-wide work around technology modernization, cyber security, IT risk management, and stronger governance practices. Importantly, our advocacy brought tangible outcomes, including the expansion of the Exemption Regime to allow broader investment options for credit unions.
At the same time, we ensured that the voice of our credit union movement was represented at national, regional, and international levels.
As we look ahead to 2026, it is clear that this will be a year of consolidation, preparation, and important decision-making. Boards will be required to think strategically about sustainability, scale, and readiness for a more demanding regulatory and operational environment. The League’s responsibility will be to support affiliates with clear information, practical guidance, targeted training, and strong, coordinated advocacy, and always with the interests of members at the forefront.
On behalf of the League’s Board of Directors, management and staff, I thank our credit union affiliates, volunteers, employees, and partners for their engagement and commitment to the movement.
I extend best wishes to you and your loved ones and indeed all Barbadians for the holiday season. May the period ahead offer time for rest, reflection, and renewed energy as we work together to build a safer and stronger credit union sector for Barbados.
As Barbados enters a new year, the President of the National Organisation of Women (NOW) Barbados is calling for renewed national commitment to advancing equality, supporting women’s mental health, valuing care work, and strengthening pathways for young women transitioning into adulthood.
While acknowledging that women and girls continue to face challenges that are often unseen and endured in silence, the Organisation continues to emphasize that there is also meaningful progress worth recognizing.
“Today, women have greater power and control over their lives than ever before,” said NOW President Melissa Savoury-Gittens.
“We are seeing expanded access to education, stronger representation in careers, and increased economic and political participation. While we have not yet reached full equality, there is real progress—and that progress must be protected.”
The Organisation highlighted continued academic excellence among girls, particularly in mathematics and science, while noting the need for greater female participation in technology, the trades, and emerging industries where innovation and economic opportunity are concentrated. Mental health was identified as a critical area requiring urgent attention.
Despite the availability of resources, many women continue to delay or avoid seeking counselling and support.
“In 2026, we must normalize care and prioritize mental wellness,” the statement noted.
“Asking for help is not weakness—it is wisdom.”
The statement also called for national dialogue on unpaid care work, recognizing the economic and social value of labour such as child-rearing, elder care, and household management.
“This work sustains families and communities. It contributes meaningfully to our economy and must be treated as the essential labour that it is.”
Importantly, NOW acknowledged the increasing role of men as partners in advancing gender equality.
“Progress does not happen in isolation. We are increasingly working alongside men who are stepping up as engaged fathers, supportive partners, and allies. When responsibility is shared, families are stronger and communities thrive. Gender equality is a collective responsibility.”
Looking ahead, the Organisation issued a call for the creation of a supported transition live-in space for young women between the ages of 17 and 25 and beyond—designed to provide life skills training, mentorship, counselling, and practical resources.
“This call arises from what we continue to see—young women navigating adulthood without stability, support, or safe spaces, sometimes facing homelessness and vulnerability,” the statement said.
“We must create environments where young women can pause, heal, and bloom, rather than being forced into survival before they are ready to thrive.”
NOW emphasized that such an initiative would require collaboration across government, private sector, civil society, and individuals with the capacity to contribute. As Barbados enters 2026, the Organisation is urging the nation to move beyond rhetoric and toward sustained action.
“Let us listen more closely, support more intentionally, and work together to build a society where equality is lived, empowerment is tangible, and no woman feels alone.”
As we welcome the start of a new year, I extend warm New Year’s greetings to the members of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, our partners across the public and private sectors, and to Barbadians everywhere whose livelihoods and communities are closely linked to tourism.
The beginning of a new year invites reflection, not only on what we have achieved, but on how far we have come and where we must now go. In that context, 2025 stands as a defining year for tourism in Barbados: a year marked by resilience, realism, and renewed confidence.
A Year of Meaningful Progress
Against a backdrop of global uncertainty, geopolitical instability, inflationary pressures, and rising operational costs, Barbados’ tourism industry once again proved its strength. Visitor arrivals remained strong across our core source markets, supported by stable airlift, improved connectivity, and continued interest in Barbados as a premium, year-round destination.
Importantly, 2025 was not simply about volume. We saw encouraging improvements in average daily rates, length of stay, and visitor spend, clear indicators that Barbados continues to command value in an increasingly competitive global tourism landscape. Our diverse accommodation stock, from heritage inns and boutique properties to internationally branded resorts, reinforced the depth and quality of the Barbados product.
Investor confidence also remained evident throughout the year. Several properties advanced refurbishment programmes, sustainability initiatives, and product enhancements, while new developments continued to progress. These investments are critical not only to maintaining competitiveness, but to ensuring long-term resilience and relevance.
Advocacy That Matters
Throughout 2025, the BHTA remained a strong, engaged, and constructive advocate for the industry. We consistently raised issues affecting our members, including taxation, labour policy, infrastructure, utilities, insurance, and operating costs, while emphasising the need for predictability, consultation, and balance in policy decision-making.
Tourism is Barbados’ leading economic engine, but it is also an industry made up largely of small and medium-sized enterprises. The health of the sector depends on businesses being viable, investable, and able to plan with confidence. Advocacy, therefore, is not about resistance to progress, but about ensuring that growth is sustainable and inclusive.
Our People at the Centre
At the heart of every tourism success story are our people. In 2025, tourism workers across Barbados continued to deliver with professionalism, warmth, and pride, often under challenging circumstances. Labour shortages, rising living costs, and increased demands tested the industry, yet service standards remained high.
Many operators invested deliberately in training, mentorship, and staff development, recognising that people are not only our greatest asset, but our most powerful competitive advantage. As wage policies evolve, it remains essential that productivity, skills development, and business sustainability are part of the national conversation. Sustainable wages require sustainable businesses.
Challenges That Sharpened Our Focus
While 2025 brought notable wins, it also highlighted persistent challenges. Rising energy costs, insurance premiums, supply-chain pressures, and infrastructure constraints continued to erode BHTA NYD Message 2026
margins. Climate-related impacts served as a reminder of our vulnerability as a small island state and the urgent need for resilience planning and maintenance of critical infrastructure.
Yet, these challenges also reinforced the strength of collaboration within the sector. Time and again, tourism stakeholders adapted, shared solutions, and supported one another. This collective resilience is one of Barbados’ greatest strengths and must continue to be nurtured.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As we move into 2026, there is genuine reason for optimism, tempered with realism and responsibility. The year ahead presents opportunities to deepen market diversification, refine our brand positioning, and continue shifting the conversation from recovery to long-term competitiveness.
The BHTA’s focus in 2026 will remain clear: strong advocacy, meaningful engagement with Government and social partners, support for workforce development, and a continued push for policies that recognise tourism’s economic contribution while enabling businesses to thrive.
Sustainability must now move decisively from intent to action. Environmental stewardship, community engagement, and responsible development are no longer optional, they are expectations. Barbados is well-placed to lead in this space, but leadership must be demonstrated through measurable outcomes, not rhetoric.
A Call for Unity and Shared Purpose
Tourism does not operate in isolation. It touches agriculture, transport, culture, education, sport, and commerce. Its success depends on collaboration across sectors and a shared commitment to excellence. As we enter 2026, unity, trust, and open dialogue will be essential.
Let us approach this new year with confidence in our product, respect for our people, and a clear understanding of what is required to secure tourism’s future. Let us continue to champion Barbados not just as a destination, but as a place of opportunity, innovation, and pride.
On behalf of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, I thank our members for their resilience and commitment, our partners for their collaboration, and the thousands of Barbadians whose daily efforts bring our tourism industry to life.
May 2026 be a year of progress, partnership, and prosperity for tourism and for Barbados. Warmest New Year wishes, Javon Griffith Chairman
Happy New Year to our members, stakeholders, and the wider business community.
As we begin 2026, resilience will be our guiding principle. By making disciplined decisions and striving for operational excellence, we can overcome uncertainty and turn challenges into opportunities for growth and development. The Chamber is of the view that 2026 holds great promise for advancing how we do business in Barbados.
Reflecting on 2025, the BCCI proudly celebrated its Bicentennial, reaffirming our role as a trusted partner in national development. Barbados achieved nearly three per cent economic growth, maintained robust foreign reserves, and saw employment rates decline – giving businesses greater confidence to plan and invest.
Looking ahead, rapid adaptation is essential to sustain Barbados’ appeal to investors. We must focus on innovation, resilience, and competitiveness, driving reforms and infrastructure upgrades to reduce friction and boost efficiency.
Three priorities will shape our daily business strategy:
Climate resilience
Digital transformation
Business growth
Financing for climate projects will support vital infrastructure, while digitisation drives business efficiency and new opportunities. Our strategies aim to enhance access to finance and accelerate digital adoption. Expanding renewable energy will help reduce costs and market competitiveness. Regionally, CARICOM’s free movement opens new possibilities for labour and market access.
In 2026, the Chamber will focus on executing the BCCI 2026-2028 Strategic Plan, guided by clear KPIs and a commitment to delivering measurable value to our members. Our priorities will include:
Improve logistics
Expanding trade facilitation
Continue to seek alternative supply chains and source markets
Accelerating digital payments
Support the national green and renewable energy strategy
Promote and strengthen Africa–Caribbean ties
It is anticipated that these initiatives will help our members operate more efficiently, access new markets and adopt innovative technologies – delivering tangible benefits to all stakeholders.
Collaboration across sectors remains essential and we invite all stakeholders to actively engage with our initiatives and share feedback to help us achieve our goals together for the benefit of Barbados.
On behalf of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce & Industry, I wish you and your families a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
Together, let’s make 2026 a year of growth and achievement. Paul Inniss President, Barbados Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Fellow Barbadians, residents and visitors, as the old year yields to the new, I join you with a full heart, steady faith and a simple message.
Just days ago, on Christmas morning, I reminded us that Barbados is held together by love; quiet, love, practical love, a love that shows up without needing applause. And I said to you then plainly, stay close, stay connected, stay loving.
Today, as we cross into 2026 I want that same thread to carry us forward, because the work continues. The purpose continues. I want to hold two strands in the same hand, gratitude for what we have achieved together, and resolve for what we must do next.
We’ve always found a way, not by luck, not by accident, but because we are, and have always been, Bajan strong; Bajan strong in how we rebuild after storms and pandemics. Bajan-strong in how we show up for each other when family is hurting. Bajan-strong in how we keep moving forward, even when the road feels steep. Bajan-strong in how we celebrate each other’s victories.
I say it again today with conviction. Barbados has never been a people who fold when times get hard. We bend, we brace, we build, and very often, yes, we do it together. Because one of the truest sayings we have is simple; one hand cannot clap. That is who we are. We share the burden, we share the weight. And when the time comes, my friends and we are doing well, we share that too.
Now, as we welcome 2026, we do so in a year that carries weight and meaning for our nation. This is the year Barbados begins the national Journey to 60, our Diamond Jubilee. This is also the year we enter our fifth year as a Parliamentary Republic. Sixty is maturity, sixty is memory, sixty is responsibility, and a diamond is not formed in comfort. A diamond is formed under pressure and it shines because it has endured.
But being five years old, also as a young republic, gives us the opportunity and the ability to continue to shape who we are and to rid ourselves of the baggage of history. It gives us the confidence to believe in ourselves without the validation of others, personally and as a nation, we do not need anyone to tell us we are good enough. We do what we do because it is the right thing to do for the right reasons. And that, my friends, is the meaning of Bajan-strong.
So this moment, January 1, 2026, yes, ought to be sobering but reassuring, not because we fear the road ahead, but because we respect what it demands of us.
But before I speak of what we must do in 2026, let me speak frankly about 2025. 2025 my friends, was not a gentle year for the world. We saw again how quickly nature can shift, and here at home, we did not have to imagine it. Just think back to a few weeks ago, how within hours I was attending the consecration of Bishop Ezra Paris at the Sharon Moravian Church, and just as I left, what felt like a simple set of showers became a flash flood warning and then suddenly turned deadly for one of our people. That is how quickly life can change, and that is why preparedness and resilience are not slogans or buzz words as others would have you believe. They are our survival.
This past year also saw us continue to live under the shadow of geopolitical fragmentation and uncertainty, the kind that unsettles markets and livelihoods far beyond where conflicts occur. We know the saying all too well when big countries sneeze, small countries catch the cold, and we are witnessing equally the acceleration of the AI revolution, moving from something we discussed in theory to something that is already shaping lives in practice, changing work, changing learning, and for many of our young people, changing their sense of identity and their stability.
We will and must embrace technology, because Barbados never fears progress. But let us equally be honest. One of the greatest threats we now face is not AI itself, but the misuse of AI to manufacture falsehood, to spread panic, to manipulate our young and to corrode trust. We must have guardrails and trust, my friends, you know, and I know, is the currency of any stable society. Without that, we will all descend into anarchy.
So when we measure Barbados, we must measure Barbados fairly within the context of the world that we are navigating. And when we look at 2025, we can say this honestly, Barbados still chose people first. Barbados still moved forward. We didn’t stop building the fundamentals of a stronger society, even as the noise around us grew louder. We increased the national minimum wage in 2025 by 24%, because work must come with dignity, not just survival. We introduced statutory paternity leave this year and strengthened maternity protection, because nation building starts at home. Strong families help to build strong societies. We expanded, yes, the categories of persons living with disabilities, children and adults now entitled to draw the special needs grant. And all of this while passing legislation to protect and empower persons living with disabilities. This government, my friends, understands that inclusion is practical and not poetic. We provided a one off solidarity allowance, because when we do better, no matter how big, no matter how small, everyone, every Bajan here over 18, must share in the pie.
We know that some households, however, have been feeling strained, and the government cannot pretend that pressure is not real. We maintained the targeted support for all households that we started in 2022 with the Prices Compact. And yes, in 2025 we expanded the range of goods that could benefit from tax free status, goods like stew beef, Horlicks, Saga. We developed, also, a price monitoring app that is called Ask Dealia, a free government platform where you can compare prices for basic everyday items across supermarkets, allowing you to plan your basket before you leave home, so that you get value for money. If you have not yet seen Delia, go and look for her and ask Delia every time before you need to shop. How many other governments have done this for their citizens?
We continue to expand the support for persons falling through the cracks in this country. Once we know, we try our best to help wherever there is need. And we continued, my friends, strengthening our national security capacity, including training, recruitment and advancement in the police service. Special constables with three years or more are no police constables. Over 217 police constables with 20 years or more are now senior constables, increasing the numbers that we have to keep Bajans safe by also having job fairs to be able to have others join the police service. My friends, no country can thrive if people do not feel safe.
And beyond these we have made progress that is easy to overlook if we only talk in headlines. We appointed 2095 public officers from today, January 1. And that is not just a statistic. That is 2095 people with families to support, children to raise, parents to help, bills to meet. It means more Bajans with steady incomes, greater security and greater purchasing power, people who can plan, who can now qualify for a loan, who can walk into a bank with confidence, and who can build a more stable home. Because when you stabilize a worker, you stabilize a household, and when you stabilize households, you stabilize communities, and when you stabilize communities, you stabilize our country. We continue to be guided by our commitment as well to enfranchise and empower our workers and ordinary Bajans across different public sector enterprises that we have and in creating other opportunities.
In 2025 we kept road works moving under the Focused Roads Programme, 60 roads were assessed for rehabilitation, with a number of them already completed, and others currently under work. We also completed paving on key stretches of the newly paved section, from the Darcy Scott Roundabout to the Welches roundabout, and we advanced reconstruction and priority areas, including the Scotland District, where another eight roads have already been reconstructed. Are there more to be done? Of course, there’s more to be done. And we know that we still have many of them, because during the lost decade, many were not done, and then again, during the period of shut down in the pandemic, we could not do many.
So that we all equally know that the extreme weather that we more regularly experience in Barbados today is taking its toll on all our roads and infrastructure, so backlog on the one hand, but challenging environments on a daily basis on the other hand, and that is what has made the effort seem even more complex. But I give you the assurance it will all be done, especially since we have stabilized our fiscal situation.
We imported buses and vehicles to help stabilize public transport and other essential services, including garbage collection. Just yesterday, you saw another 35 spanking new buses leave the Bridgetown Port for the people of Barbados to use Wi Fi and air conditioned. But guess what? There are still more to come in this year, 2026. We also advance serious legislative reforms to strengthen our fight against crime in this country, including legislation to provide witness anonymity and to reform our juries, and equally to support generally, the administration of justice. We continue to strengthen our fiscal position, as I said, to the point where it is much healthier than it has ever been.
And yes, we continue to strengthen our fiscal position, healthy as it is now. Why? Because we successfully completed our BERT 1 and BERT 2 programmes and our second IMF programme, the Extended Fund Facility, securing the final disbursements of it and closing that chapter of economic reform with greater policy space and greater confidence in the Barbados economy. Independent judgments by international markets and the credit rating agencies reflected that same confidence. We will now be introducing BERT 3.0 to enhance our competitiveness as a nation, as we know that visitors and investors have choices and as a small open economy, we cannot survive or thrive on our own resources alone. In these uncertain and challenging times internationally, as I’ve said before many times, we will seek to keep the IMF on speed dial, but we will equally be resting, as I said, on BERT 3.0.
With respect to tourism, we kept it moving forward through major modernization and expansion, with new and upgraded product coming on stream, including Hotel Indigo, opening in mid-January 2026, alongside other major projects that are now being built and in advanced planning.
Existing hotels took the opportunity to refurbish and to refresh in their look. I’ve been told that there’s never been more tourism construction at any one time in this country’s history.
As it relates to airlift, this too is showing that momentum. The Grantley Adams International Airport recently recorded its busiest commercial day, with 22 wide body flights and close to 10,000 people moving through it in a single day. And we have seen milestones like 54 flights in one day. And let us remember every extra flight means more jobs and more opportunity for Barbadians.
In October, we opened a new chapter — full free movement among four CARICOM states, because our people must be able to live, work and build across our region with dignity and order.
Now, I know that some people may say, people may feel that we are in a certain season, well, we have one year left before we go back to the people. But that does not mean that we distort the record or we distort facts.
Let me say this much.
These are not wins for any political party. These are wins for the people of Barbados. These are wins for the nation of Barbados, and we should be proud of them, not because any one group benefits alone, but because every Barbadian family is part of the national story that these decisions were designed to strengthen.
At the same time, I also know something else, as I say these things. Some of you listening, may be saying or thinking, “Mia, I hear you, but for some of us, life still hard”.
And I understand that. I do not dismiss it, and I don’t argue with it. I respect it, because two things can, in fact, be true. Pressure can be real, and progress, too, can equally and must also be real.
And real leadership, especially in challenging times, means we can hold both truths at the same time.
My government is not talking about diversification as a theory. We started to create instruments designed to back companies that can grow jobs and foreign exchange, because we need to accelerate what we are doing.
Equally with the new energy economy, including projects like Renewstable Barbados, that pair renewable generation with green hydrogen storage for stability, these things will make a difference to the kind of country and kind of energy stability that we have.
We’re modernizing our business environment with new digital tools and reforms to make it fast and more predictable to invest and expand here. Are we finished? No, we’re not. And therefore we’re very much in the process of this action.
We’ve equally acted to strengthen the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s operations, especially its Accident and Emergency Department, with practical changes.
We moved ahead, as you know, with the expansion of the A & E, but more importantly, in recent years, we’ve added, also, commitments to new staff, commitments to more money, and commitments to new equipment, some of which has already started to be delivered.
These new posts, almost 250 will cost us annually about $17 million. They’re not all filled yet, because we don’t have the skill set for all of them on island, but we are working assiduously to do so.
We strongly believe that emergency care must be faster, safer and indeed, more humane for every Bajan who walks through those doors.
And all of that matters, because policy is not paper. It’s what people feel.
So let me talk straight about what I know some Barbadians are weighing in their minds right now. Even when we go to the hospital, the most important thing with all the money that we are spending is accountability and communication. We have to communicate with each other, and if we are communicating, we need to make sure that that communication eases the worry and anxiety of the patient and the patient’s families, because without communication, stress and anxiety will rise and nobody wins in that situation.
Similarly, let me talk about a few other issues that I know are on our minds.
“Ease the squeeze”, people say. Well, government cannot control every price that comes into this island, and we said this over.
But we can, and we will use the tools within our reach, whether it is making goods tax free, as we’ve done for so many basic goods, for food and answer and personal hygiene. Or whether it will be equally, as we are having to do now, more of market disruption to reduce pressure where we can and to target support where it is needed most.
Why? Because a country that is serious about its people cannot watch hardship and call it somebody else’s problem. We have not done that at any stage, especially since 2022 when cost of living became a global problem.
Secondly, I’ve spoken to you before about the roads, and I’ve said to you, we hear you, and trust me, I feel it too.
We will continue in 2026 with more monetary allocations for the planning, design and construction, to build on top the Focused Roads Project and to look seriously not just at the repaving of our highways, but the widening of Highway 2A between Redman’s Village and Lancaster, and indeed, equally, looking at other key highways that are needed to be able to relieve the traffic backlog.
The Minister of Public Works, early in the new year, will make new announcements as well on how we can continue to have a sharper focus on reducing the burden of traffic that is now haunting so many of our people on our roads.
Thirdly, jobs and opportunities. Even with unemployment at a record low of 6.1% we are still not satisfied, because too many Bajans still need better pay, better opportunity and a clear path to get ahead. A young person still needs a path. A family still needs upward movement. And so our job in 2026 is not only to protect what has been built, but to unlock new ladders of opportunity, especially for our young people and for those who feel like they are working hard but not getting ahead.
That is why 2026 must be a year where the next horizon becomes visible — a horizon of work, a horizon of training, a horizon of enterprise and entrepreneurship, a horizon of modernization, a horizon of renewed confidence.
And my friends, I’m telling you that early in the new year, we will also speak to aspects of the new FinTech and digital scheme to see how best Bajans can work and integrate into that locally and internationally.
The message for 2026 my friends, however, cannot only be about what Government will do. It must also be what we as a people, we as Bajans and persons living in our country who love Barbados, must do.
Because, while we cannot control every external shock, we can confront the domestic issues that threaten our peace and our cohesion, and we must do it collectively as a people.
We must confront domestic abuse.
We must confront violence in any form.
We must confront dishonesty that breaks trust and tears at the fabric of our community.
And we must confront something else that is creeping in, regrettably; a culture of harshness, a culture of indifference, a culture of constant blame, as if somebody else must always carry the responsibility for how we behave as individuals.
Yes, your government has a duty, but yes, we as citizens in the highest office of the land, equally, have a duty too. And in this year of our Diamond Jubilee, in this the fifth year of our Parliamentary Republic, I want to remind us of the national values that we must choose deliberately every single day.
That is why we articulated the Beacons of Renewal, to call each of us to be voices of accountability, to be guardians of cleanliness in our communities, to be agents of respect to each other, to create solutions, not just to comment on problems.
And Barbadians who embrace global citizenship without losing local responsibility, because, as I said, as a small little island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, we need equally to engage with the others across the planet.
As we do that, let us keep our national direction simple when we talk about Mission Barbados and what we must do by 2030 it’s just built around six practical missions. And I repeat again: What are they?
To keep our environment and communities clean and resilient, sea as well;
To improve safety and health of Bajans;
To deepen respect and strengthen our social cohesion as Bajans;
To empower and enfranchise workers, and ultimately, to drive digital transformation, because almost every one of you is walking about with a cell phone that is now a smartphone, so that this country can work better for people and for businesses;
And of course, to ensure that every Bajan has access to food and water.
Because Barbados, my friends, cannot become world class by 2030 and sustain that excellence Beyond 2030 if we do not equally, start beyond the missions with the simplest and most powerful thing we control, which is at the core of both the missions and the beacon.
It is how we treat to each other.
It is how we offer service to each other. Service doesn’t cost anybody anything.
It costs us nothing to be polite.
It costs us nothing to be caring and empathetic.
It costs us nothing to be decent.
It equally costs us nothing to be pleasant and smiling.
But you know what? It changes everything when we practice it consistently, and others before us knew it, and that is why they practiced us in that when we were growing up.
So let 2026, my friends, be the year that we renew our spirit and raise our standards. Be good first in spirit, and then, of course in action, not because it’s fashionable, but because it’s necessary.
And today I want to speak directly with families, because I can do my work and the Government can do its work and Parliament can pass its laws, but no government can raise children for you.
This new age will demand skills, yes, but it more than ever demands values and attitudes.
If our children have brilliance but no discipline, they will struggle.
If our children have access but no rootedness, they will drift.
If our children have devices but no direction, they will be vulnerable.
So we must continue to invest in training and opportunity in the small ways, in households, in churches, in communities. We must continue to prepare our people for a change in society and a change in economy.
And I ask today every parent, every guardian, every grandparent, every god parent, every community lead, every coach, every teacher, every one of us who loves this country and loves Bajans, help us to shape character.
And let me put it in the simplest language possible. Our children need love, but they also need guard rails. Firm love, guidance Love, a love that is Bajan-strong, the kind of love that says, I believe in you too much to let you destroy yourself and your life.
How many have heard others say that? And how many of us have said it? Correct when needed. Guide with love. Teach respect, teach responsibility, teach manners, teach kindness.
Let us talk with them, as I keep saying, and not at them. Let us walk with them, not ahead of them. Because all of the infrastructural gains, all of the social gains, all of the economic gains, will mean nothing if we do not produce a generation ready, ready to take the baton from us and to carry Barbados forward.
I’ve always said that we must make this country comfortable for our elderly, for our people who are vulnerable, but we must make it a place that our young people want to live and want to build.
And this brings me back, therefore, to that theme that must carry us into the Diamond Jubilee Year and the fifth year of the parliamentary republic —. into our 60 and five, as I call it.
And this brings me back to the theme that must carry us into our “60 and five”, our Diamond Jubilee, and yes, our fifth year as a parliamentary republic.
Challenges will continue, but resolve develops immediately on January 1, because that’s just how we are. New beginnings each year brings new resolutions. It means that the foundations laid through shared sacrifice and steady work must now translate for us into broader opportunity, stronger systems and a greater sense across Barbados that our people are not only enduring, but progressing.
I want Bajans to feel in 2026 that they’re not only surviving, that we’re building, that we’re stabilizing, that we’re strengthening. And as I said to you on Independence Day, when we get weary, we must see it as an opportunity to redouble our efforts to ensure that we continue because we have not yet reached the top of the hill.
I say simply, with a smile, because I know what many of you are thinking. I have a feeling 2026 can be a very, very, very good year for all of us if we keep doing the work, and if we keep choosing each other.
My friends, on our journey to 60 and five, let us remember what it truly asks of each of us. It asks us as a parent or as a godparent, as a grandmother or grandfather, as an uncle or aunt, a neighbour or a friend, to make that quiet but powerful commitment in this year, in this very year, to be able to make a defining difference in the lives of our young people.
Let us decide deliberately to be the steady hands that our children can lean on, the voices that guide them, the examples that shape them and the community that holds them.
Let us give them love, yes, but also the guard rails. And let us teach them all that have spoken about from respect to discipline, to kindness, to manners, to service, because as we celebrate at 60 and as we celebrate at five, the republic that we are shaping, we will be measured by what we place in the hands of our young people and by the kind of people we help them to become.
That is why the Chapman Challenge issued by our president is so important, and that is why during this year, we will ask so many of you to volunteer to help us ensure that we can have in our schools far more activity that supplements and complements what you do at home and what you do in church.
It also is necessary for us to honour those who built this nation, to protect those who have been there for us before. And I ask us also, as we do so, to let our children understand the world they are inheriting, and the journey that their elders did before them, ask them to be better, not in talk, but in action, day after day, neighbour by neighbour, parish by parish, household by household, and yes, Bajan by Bajan.
Let us reach out and touch life this year. Let us hold hands across households and across communities and be intentional, purposeful about the young people in our care, your own child, your grandchild, or your god child, your neighbour’s child.
Speak with them, guide them, correct them when we must. But always with love, always with love and with the necessary guardrails about their choices, because that is how we prepare them to take the wheel and to keep us going, to keep Barbados strong, steady and safe for generations to come.
May God bless each and every one of you in this new year of 2026. May God bless our families, may God bless our communities, and may God continue to bless our nation Barbados in this 60th and fifth year, as we have come to call it.
Happy New Year, my friends and a prosperous, prosperous, prosperous 2026
Barbados’ public transportation system received a major boost today with the arrival of 35 new electric buses.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works, Santia Bradshaw, spoke at the Bridgetown Port this morning as the buses departed for the Transport Board’s Weymouth, Roebuck Street, St. Michael, headquarters.
She said the addition was part of the government’s ongoing investment in creating a more reliable and efficient, modern public transportation system.
Bradshaw mentioned that the purchase of the 35 buses – sourced as part of the government’s continued procurement efforts following a previous donation of 30 electric buses from the People’s Republic of China – brought the fleet to 121 and represented an investment of around $21 million.
“From the time that we came to office in 2018, the government made a commitment to ensure that while we still supported with a sum of about $6 million into the existing diesel fleet, we would work towards being able to modernise and to purchase electric buses. We embarked on that journey over the last few years. The expenditure that we have made to date is close to $58 million since 2018 to ensure that we have a more efficient service that we can deliver to the general public,” she said.
The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted that public concerns, particularly in the Scotland District and central areas, motivated the expansion. She added that their focus was also on providing reliable service for elderly residents and schoolchildren.
“We have continued to make a priority out of our elderly population, as well as making sure that our school children are able to get to and from school.”
Bradshaw explained that full deployment would take several weeks, as the buses required registration, charging, cashless payment system installation, and digital route mapping.
She added that the government planned to advertise by way of a request for proposals for a dedicated school bus system in January. (AM)
