 Vendors from across the island are currently engaged in computer literacy training as part of ongoing initiatives on the Component 3 of the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project. The project aims to grow the digital economy of St. Lucia as a driver of growth of economic productivity and diversification, providing access to increased digital services and job opportunities. Over 45 vendors avail themselves of the opportunity to receive computer training which includes components such as basic computer literacy, registering a business and increasing sales productivity by employing digital card services. Peter Rass-Ipa Isaac is the president of the Vendors and Dry Goods Association. Today is a day that we must all say thanks to. We appreciate the people, the participants, those who are involved in getting this program together for us the vendors. It's a good thing for them to be thinking about us in the way that they do, especially because we are, as she said, making a significant contribution to the development of this country and to the GDP of this country. So therefore, the kind of attention must be deliberate and I'm happy that it's a deliberate intention to get us into this digital world so that we will not lose out in the longer run. Project coordinator for the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project, Francilia Solomon, expressed her satisfaction with the number of vendors representing the first cohort to undergo this two-week computer literacy course, organized in collaboration with the Sa'afa Lewis Community College. This training opportunity is part of a three-prong approach to having you, the vendors, capitalized and continue to contribute on your contributions to economic development in Saint Lucia. I shared with you that we will be working with CEDU to assist you with registering your businesses, those of you who have not done so. And again, we will be partnering with Bank of Saint Lucia on your, well, easier access for you, for your point of sales machine. Solomon added that apart from stipends and meals provided to participants for the training, the project will further support the implementation of more reliable Wi-Fi and Internet access points at various vending locations. She also promised additional training to assist vendors in marketing and growing their businesses. So this is a small step to bigger things, better things, and brighter things. We want to not just welcome you, but embrace you and give you the comfort and promise that we will continue to be there with and for you as best as we can over time. Aleta Raté-Michel, Senior Manager Retail Banking at the Bank of Saint Lucia, encouraged the vendors to register their businesses to be able to capitalize fully on the benefits available to them within the banking sector. We'll come back and tell you about the point of sale machines, which is the CAD machines that you've seen around the place, also how you can access those machines, how you can access other bank facilities, which we have available to you, our small business people. You are the ones who really make our economy work. You contribute significantly to our economy, and so we appreciate you. And today's an example of how we give back to you, the beginning of how we give back to you. During Productivity Awareness Week in October 2022, the Saint Lucia Bankers Association and the NCPC held a sales productivity showcase for vendors at the vendors' arcade, where vendors were made aware of the benefits of employing point of sale machines to maximize their sales output. This computer literacy training, facilitated by the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project, was born out of a request by some of the vendors for greater understanding of the digital world. For the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, Glenn Simon reporting.