kevin greenidge : let hard work be your guiding principle remarks by dr kevin greenidge, governor of the central bank of barbados, at the barbados youth advance corps graduation, 25 august 2023. * * * good day graduands. today, i focus my remarks on being the best you can be. many years ago, i was like you. i was about to finished secondary school having spent one year in fifth form and not entered for any cxc course, and therefore would have left with no certification. i appealed to the principal of my school for a second chance, and he gave it to me. i grasped it, and as they say, the rest is history. back then, i committed to becoming the best i could be, envisaged the possibilities, applied myself, worked hard, and today, i am at the pinnacle of my career as the governor of the central bank of barbados. you can do the same. the programme from which you graduate today gave you that second chance. over the past four months, the national transformation initiative ( nti ) helped the barbados youth advanced corps ( byac ) to school you in letter and report writing. nti exposed you to various experiences and projects to prepare you for the technical and vocational training opportunities you will pursue next. and of major significance, you have designed your vision board, which i hope you will use to guide your career and help you attain success. the transitional literacy course has equipped you with the skills necessary to pursue higher learning at the samuel jackman prescod institute of technology, the barbados community college, the barbados institute of management and productivity ( bimap ), or the vocational training board. to become the best at whatever career path you choose, you must build on the foundation that the national transformation initiative and the barbados youth advanced corps laid for you. what is required, though, to solidify that foundation? the answer is simple. you must do a few things to be the best carpenter, cosmetologist, or artisan. topping the list are setting goals to achieve your vision, working hard, remaining focused, and avoiding distractions. you've drafted your vision boards already. that's a great start. now, you must set your goals to achieve those visions. goal setting helps you to chart a path and to map out how you will travel that road to your desired destination. having goals motivates you, gives you a sense of purpose, and helps you

marion williams : launch of the national financial education programme in barbados welcome remarks by dr marion williams, governor of the central bank of barbados, at the launch of the national financial education programme, bridgetown, 31 august 2009. * * * the honourable david thompson, prime minister, minister of finance and investment, labour, civil service and energy ; permanent secretaries, members of the board of directors of the central bank of barbados, management and staff of the bank, representatives of financial institutions and the education sector, members of the national financial education programme planning committee ; specially invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning and welcome to the launch of the national financial education programme ( nfep ). a few years ago at a meeting of the central bank governors of the commonwealth, it was recommended that central banks should take steps to enhance financial literacy in their jurisdictions. at the time, of the central banks in the caribbean only the central bank of trinidad and tobago had an active literacy programme. the central bank of barbados took steps to make this a reality in barbados. this national financial education programme initiative is intended to educate individuals and households about how to better manage their personal finances and how to make sound financial decisions that will enhance the quality of their lives which can lead to improvements at the national level. it is therefore a very important occasion for us at the bank and i hope that every barbadian will find the programme useful and timely. throughout our 37 - year history, the bank has considered financial and economic education as a critical aspect of our corporate social responsibility and as a public affairs goal. indeed, education in the areas of economics and finance is part of our raison d ’ etre because we have always believed that the more informed our publics are, the more successful our policies are likely to be. so that over the years, we have hosted seminars and conferences on an array of economic and financial topics, targeting various interest groups. we have also had a vibrant schools education programme geared to educating school children about how the economy works. the national financial education programme, as we have designed it, is consistent with these educational programmes and objectives. today we are launching the programme under the slogan “ all about managing your money ”. we hope to impact every citizen with this initiative, but especially the man - in - the street by making this programme practical. i will give insights first about the programme for the adults. we have designed a programme for employees, non - governmental organisations, community groups and service organizations, using