Miriam Roache, President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Co-operative League, has been elected Assistant Secretary to the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU).
The election took place during the CCCU’s 54″ Annual General Meeting on June 24, 2025, at the Paradisus Palma Real Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
This historic appointment marks the first time a Vincentian woman has been elected to the CCCU Board in the 62-year history of the SVG Co-operative League. Ms. Roache also holds the distinction of being the second female President of the League, and was the longest serving female President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Co-operative Credit Union.
Ms. Roache brings to the CCCU Board a wealth of experience in credit union governance, regulatory compliance, and organizational leadership, honed over decades of public service and community advocacy. As a development advocate, she has consistently championed sustainable growth, gender equality, and community empowerment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Ms. Roache will serve a three-year term on the CCCU Board, which also includes President Andrea
Wilson Messam (Jamaica), Vice-President Lovetta Silcott (Montserrat), Secretary Mark Menzies (Belize), Treasurer Nicklon Elliot (Guyana), Immediate Past President Hally Haynes (Barbados), Assistant Treasurer Martina Belizaire (St. Lucia), Director Shari Howell (Cayman Islands), and Ex-Officio Director Andre Goindoo (Trinidad and Tobago).
Delegates identified key strategic priorities to advance the regional credit union movement during the Convention. These included enhanced regional advocacy to shape public policy and raise awareness of the credit union sector’s critical contribution to Caribbean development, accelerated digitization to support credit unions, and greater investment in shared services and IT infrastructure. They also emphasized the growing importance of climate resilience, encouraging continued partnerships and investment to position credit unions as key actors in sustainable development and climate adaptation efforts across the region.
Outstanding affiliate awards were also presented at the Convention. St. Vincent and the Grenadines was recognized with the award for the highest membership growth among CCCU affiliates.
The CCCU is the regional trade and development organization for credit unions in the Caribbean,
representing over 2.7 million members. The Confederation advocates for the Co-operative Sector as a critical stakeholder in social-economic development and integration of the Caribbean.
Incorporated in 1964, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Co-operative League is the national umbrella organization of local credit unions and general co-operatives. The League’s mandate is to co-ordinate, monitor and promote activities for the development, growth, expansion and integration of Co-operative Societies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and perform representational, advocacy and other functions as may be determined by its members.