The latest “Friday Report” indicates that on On Monday, January 12, 2026, the PM attended the media launch and signing ceremony for SVG Sailing Week at the Bequia Plantation Hotel signaled a departure from traditional tourism marketing.
Friday, flanked by Hon. Kachaka Cupid (Minister of Youth, Sports, Culture, and Creative Industries) and Hon. Dr. Kishore Shallow (Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, and Sustainable Development), elevated the event to a matter of “national importance.”
By transitioning Sailing Week from a niche yachting event into a national initiative, the government is effectively “de-risking” the sector for private investors. This high-level ministerial synchronization ensures that the “blue economy” is no longer siloed but is instead supported by the full weight of the state’s tourism and sporting infrastructure.
The focus then shifted to regional resilience on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, as Prime Minister Friday chaired his inaugural meeting of the OECS Heads of Government in Castries, Saint Lucia. This special caucus represents a critical pivot: the OECS is increasingly acting as a single, unified diplomatic unit to safeguard regional interests against international pressures.
The most significant outcome was the decision to establish a high-level OECS regional negotiation team to engage directly with the United States. Rather than individual islands navigating complex international requirements in isolation, this collective approach consolidates the region’s bargaining power. The caucus prioritized four specific areas essential to regional stability:
• Regional security
• Migration
• Deportation policies
• Emerging international requirements affecting Citizenship-by-Investment (CBI) programmes.
On Thursday, January 15, 2026, a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Friday and H.E. Subhash Gupta, High Commissioner of the Republic of India, underscored a relationship maturing from “cooperation” to “capacity.” Accompanied by Hon. Fitzgerald Bramble (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Foreign Investments, and Diaspora Affairs), the Prime Minister focused on tangible outcomes that move SVG toward technical self-reliance.
While the discussion addressed the India–CARICOM Summit, the true value lies in the focus on ITEC programs and enhanced collaboration in health and agriculture. For a strategic analyst, this signals a shift away from traditional aid toward a “knowledge-transfer” model.
The activities of mid-January—including a strategic Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, January 15, centered on collaborative leadership and advancing national priorities.