Advanced Integrated Systems (AIS) Chief Executive Officer Douglas Halsall and his affable wife Gloria — joined by their AIS chief operating officer daughter Stacey Halsall-Peart — opened up their wellappointed, upper St Andrew home last Thursday evening to host a visiting South African delegation of academics, entrepreneurs and state officials.

Here on a fact-finding mission to explore The Rock’s nutraceutical and cosmoceutical industries, survey the role a number of higher learning institutions play in setting a framework, as well as document our cultural practices (there were trips to visit the Maroons in Portland and a Rastafari community in St Thomas), the South Africans’ weeklong itinerary was strongly businessoriented as the delegates also examined the Jamaican use of marijuana against the backdrop of the possible decriminalisation of the herb in Jamaica and South Africa.

The trip comes on the heels of a select group of academics from the University of West Indies, Mona visiting South Africa last year to develop exchange programmes. Sunday Finance takes you to the poolside affair catered by Celeste Gordon.