 The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, NCPC, celebrated its 10th anniversary during the observance of Productivity Awareness Week from October 9 to the 13, 2023, under the theme, Journey to Excellence, Leveraging Opportunities for Collective Advancement. Productivity Awareness Week is an annual event that allows the NCPC to profile productive activities within the public and private sectors that enhance competitiveness, economic growth and national development. Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Ernest Hiller declared the week open. When we start speaking of productivity and competitiveness, also add a focus on how we change our thinking and our attitude to performing and for us to constantly speak about striving for excellence. Form three students from across the island participated in the NCPC's first-ever Spelling Bee Competition on Tuesday 10th October. This highly competitive event saw Elaine Polius from Education District 6 emerge as the winner of this inaugural event. I suggested to the government sometimes ago to build a bridge across the harbor. Yeah, it's always nice to have all the recommendations but somebody needs to implement the recommendation. This panel discussion highlighting the loss of productivity on the island's road infrastructure network brought together stakeholders from the public sector, youth, the civil service association and the minibus sector to discuss problems and propose solutions to improve the situation on the island's roads. New roads to connect the north on castries. On Wednesday 11th October, the NCPC was out and about promoting the Productivity Measuring Tool ProTool to four small businesses in Monfortune, Anselaree, Canaries and Souffre. That tool then takes all of that data, it assesses it and it gives you rankings according to every aspect of it. The team comprised NCPC staff plus a representative from the Community Tourism Authority and a quality consultant, Betty Comby from Moz Inc. So we'll basically be taking you about to see our various businesses. Zafiqe de Exposition, a business finance expo, was a highlight event for Thursday, October 12th at the Finance Administrative Centre. The event provided the opportunity for entrepreneurs and business-minded individuals to access information on grant and soft-loan financing while providing the avenue for some entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services. The week culminated with a recognition event for staff, former council members, and current and former planning committee members for Productivity Awareness Week over the past decade. This was followed by photo ops and entertainment in celebration of the NCPC's 10th anniversary. On the heels of what has been hailed a successful Productivity Awareness Week 2023, the NCPC has already commenced the planning for Productivity Awareness Week 2024. For the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, Glenn Simon reporting.