St. Lucia leader says regional alliance to provide $10 million in grants to create jobs

CASTRIES, St. Lucia _ An alliance of left-leaning Latin American and Caribbean nations is providing $10 million in grants to the small island of St. Lucia to reduce unemployment.

St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony says the assistance from the ALBA group will help the Caribbean country boost training in the cruise ship sector and increase jobs under a government program launched in 2012. Anthony’s office announced the grants Monday.

St. Lucia’s department of statistics says unemployment rose to roughly 25 per cent this year on the tourism-dependent island of roughly 182,000 people.

The ALBA alliance was created as a socialist-oriented trade alliance in 2004 by Venezuela and Cuba. It includes four Caribbean island nations, including St. Lucia.

The Associated Press