Grenada PM Dickon Mitchell signs MoU with UWI Vice Chancellor Hillary Beckles

Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on his government’s behalf with the University of the West Indies (UWI) to formalize a key collaboration in the field of media and communication.

Professor Sir Hillary Beckles, Vice Chancellor of the UWI, inked the agreement on behalf of the Jamaica-headquartered institution. The agreement between Grenada’s Government Information Service (GIS) and UWI TV aims at strengthening information-sharing and developing content leveraging academic and professional resources. 

UWI TV provides the Caribbean with the only dedicated 24/7 public education cable channel and internet platform.

Grenada-UWI collaboration not new

Grenada’s collaboration with the UWI in the education sector is not new. In November 2024, the Grenada Students Association, in association with the Student Enrolment and Retention Unit at the UWI Cave Hill Campus in Barbados and Grenada’s TA Marryshow Community College organized a virtual information session named “Discover UWI: A World of Opportunity for Grenadians” about the institution’s programmes, applications and admissions and other important information. 

It may be mentioned here that PM Mitchell is an alumnus of the UWI, having studied law at the Cave Hill faculty. The university congratulated him after he became Grenada’s youngest prime minister in 2022 at 44. 

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The UWI has engaged in collaborations with Grenada in the realm of education in many ways, including a joint report on employment and training. For example, the UWI was involved in the preparation of the “Transition from Education to Employment in Grenada” Report which came out a few years ago.

In 2019, a MoU was signed in Grenada between the UWI Open Campus and the region rum-industry grouping -- the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA). Former Grenadian PM Keith Mitchell hailed the initiative, which sought to develop online training for the rum industry, as a great example of the university catering to one of the Caribbean’s most productive sectors. 

The UWI has a global campus in St. George's, Grenada. It has the responsibility for all of the campus’s activities in the islands of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.