Regional news for the Caribbean diaspora — without the spin, with the context.

THE CARIBBEAN IS STILL PAYING TO SELL TO AMERICA

As of April 2026, most Caribbean goods still face a 10 per cent baseline import duty under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. That number sounds modest until you remember that Caribbean producers of rum, processed foods, specialty goods and building products operate on margins where 10 percent is not a rounding error, it is the difference between competitive and not. Sir Ronald Sanders, writing in Kaieteur News this week, makes the point plainly: the Caribbean has not chosen to diversify away from the US market — it is being driven to do so. CARICOM states are now intensifying intra-regional sourcing and widening relationships with other international partners. This is what “diversification” looks like when it is not a strategy but a survival response.

Trinidad and Tobago remains the most exposed CARICOM economy under the current tariff regime, with potential export revenue losses in the hundreds of millions, concentrated in chemicals and base metals. Trinidad heads to a general election on April 28, which means trade policy is no longer abstract — it is campaign material.

RODERICK RAINFORD, CARICOM ARCHITECT, HAS PASSED

President Dr Irfaan Ali has joined the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in mourning the death of Roderick Rainford, remembered for shaping Caribbean integration and the CSME vision. Rainford served as CARICOM Secretary-General and was among the generation of regional officials who believed that Caribbean integration was not just possible but necessary. The CSME — the Caribbean Single Market and Economy — remains incomplete, which is either a tribute to the ambition of the project or an indictment of regional political will, depending on who you ask. Rainford would likely have said both were true.

CARIFTA GAMES: GRENADA HOSTING, GUYANA COMPETING

The 53rd CARIFTA Track and Field Championships are underway in St. George’s, Grenada. It was a tough day at the office for several of Guyana’s athletes at the ongoing CARIFTA Track and Field Championships in St George’s. Guyana did break the mixed relay record on day one, and enters the final day chasing gold in the 800m and 4x400m events. Grenada as host has produced a well-run championships. CARIFTA remains one of the few regional institutions that actually works the way it is supposed to, which may be because it involves teenagers running very fast rather than governments reaching consensus.

THE SURINAME-GUYANA RIVER FEE DISPUTE HAS REGIONAL IMPLICATIONS

What began as a local dispute over Corentyne River access has quietly become a test case for how Caribbean neighbours manage economic coercion. Suriname has imposed fees of up to US$2,500 per trip on Guyanese vessel operators, affecting timber, quarrying and essential goods movement in the Upper Corentyne. Guyana has lodged a formal protest and invoked customary international law, which affirms navigation rights on boundary rivers. The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce has called for a halt to the proposed Corentyne Bridge until the matter is resolved. The Suriname-Guyana Chamber of Commerce is calling for dialogue. Neither position is unreasonable, and Paramaribo has so far responded with silence, which is its own kind of answer.

TRINIDAD ELECTION WATCH: APRIL 28

Trinidad and Tobago heads to the polls on April 28. The ruling PNM under Prime Minister Stuart Young is campaigning on economic management and trade negotiation competence, with US tariffs as the backdrop. The opposition UNC under Kamla Persad-Bissessar is contesting that record. For the rest of CARICOM, the result matters — Trinidad’s economic weight and energy exports make it a regional anchor, and its political direction shapes how CARICOM navigates the current US trade environment.

The Caribbean Daily Brief covers regional news for readers who care about the wider Caribbean picture. It is a satirical and editorial publication. All stories are based on sourced reporting.