The Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) has welcomed the appointment of Ambassador Patrick Gomes, as the new Secretary-General of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States.

The SAC, at a meeting of its Board on 12-13 December, 2014,  in Georgetown, Guyana, pointed out that Ambassador Gomes had been in the forefront of promoting the interest of the ACP sugar industries in the European Union (EU) as Chairman of the ACP Sub- Committee on Sugar.

Over the years he has worked closely with the SAC. The Board of Directors of the SAC wishes him a successful tenure in Brussels,” the SAC said in a press release.

Dr.  Gomes, a Guyanese, was selected as the new Secretary-General of the ACP at the  100th Session of the Group’s Council of Ministers, held at the ACP Headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday 10 December, 2014. Ambassador Gomes will take office in March 2015 in the fortieth year of the ACP. It was in Guyana, 39 years ago in 1975, that the ACP was birthed through the Georgetown Accord.

Meanwhile, at its Annual General Meeting on 12 December, Mr. R. K James of Jamaica was appointed new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association. The other members of the Board are Dr. Raj Singh of Guyana, Mr. Jose Montalvo of Belize and Mr. Leslie Parris of Barbados.