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Government Information
Service
New Track and Field Stadium Nears Completion
ISSUE #003
Grenada
APRIL 2015
Ministerial Complex,
Botanical Gardens,
Tanteen, St. George.
Telephone: 14734402061
T he M idterm R eport
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The New Track and Field Stadium under Construction in St. George’s Grenada
Grenada’s new state-of-the-art track and field
Workmen are at the finishing stage and the
stadium, funded by the Peoples Republic of China stadium, to be officially opened later this year, will
and built by Grenadian and Chinese workers, is be the venue for next year’s CARIFTA Games.
nearing completion.
The stadium which is expected to host the
The stadium, part of an original deal between a prestigious games next year is seen as a major
previous Keith Mitchell Government and the PRC, boost for track and field in Grenada and officials are
was brought back on the table after the Mitchell already talking about attracting top world athletes
administration returned to Government over two including Jamaica’s Usain Botl and Grenada’s
years ago.
Kirani James.
Construction Begins at Silver Sands
Construction is about to begin on Grenada’s
newest hotel, the Silver Sands Hotel, on Grenada’s
world famous Grand Anse Beach.
Graphic
design and layout
by
Keville Frederick
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Full Story on Page: 6
Scores of workers and contractors are expected
to find employment on the site as the first phase of
work begins.
In This Issue...
This activity will further reduce the country’s
unemployment which has fallen from 40% to 29%
in the past two years.
GIS Review Issue 003 April 2015
More Tourists Coming
Grenada Surpasses IMF Targets
Homeowners Get Keys
Construction Begins at Silver Sands
More Doctors at Princess Alice
JetBlue Soars In Grenada
Grenada and IMF Reach US21.9M 3yr
National Health Insurance.....
Low Income Houses for Carriacou
Deal
and MORE.
Minister’s
Welcome
Jet Blue Soars In Grenada
New Road Network Connects
Grand Bacolet and Munich
Welcome to this edition of our
newsletter, The GIS Review.
stage of the project.
We hope to complete all
paving work and hand over
the project by the required
status,” said Burke.
In this third edition we will focus
on the achievements of the
administration approaching this
mid-term stage.
The long awaited Grand
Bacolet to Munich road has
long been in the making
and residents have been
applauding its construction.
We have endeavoured to cover
Government in action through
our many articles and pictures.
It runs for more than a
kilometer, at an estimated
cost of 2 million dollars
under the CCC project.
However
we
hope
you
appreciate that space would not
allow us to be as comprehensive
as we would like to be.
Needless to say we have
included articles reflecting a
turn-around in the economy, a reduction in unemployment, an
ambitious drive to reduce expenditure and a robust effort to
attract foreign direct investment as well as boost small business.
The mid-term report reflects significant progress in government
since the return of the Keith Mitchell administration more than
two years ago.
There has been movement on many fronts ranging from a drop
in unemployment to record growth in tourists arrivals as figures
from the Barbados based Caribbean Tourism Organization
would confirm.
Indeed tourism has been a stand out sector with new airlines
and cruise ships making their debut and returning and more
expansion in the fast growing yachting sector.
But from the get go, one of the areas given major attention
was the need to put the fiscal house in order as the previous
administration was embroiled in an escalating financial
nightmare.
Late and non-payments to a range of regional and international
bodies as well as the late paying of public servants salaries were
manifestations of a fiscal carnival needed to be corrected.
New York based airline JetBlue has been cleared for landing
in Grenada following Government’s signing of a contract with the
airline’s operators.
Tourism Minister Yolande Bain-Horsford broke the welcoming
news after the carrier had fixed June 11 2015, as the date to
commence flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
to Grenada’s Maurice Bishop International Airport.
“We finally signed the contract with JetBlue coming here two
flights weekly in June of this year and this is a great thing for the
hoteliers and everyone involved,” said Bain Horsford.
“It’s a joint venture. We have Sandals paying a portion, and
also we have JetBlue and we have the Grenada part of it, so that is
signed sealed and delivered and I think we are out for a good start
in June”.
JetBlue’s twice weekly service will be on Thursdays and
Sundays to Grenada, the airline’s 90th destination and its 32nd
destination in the Caribbean and Latin America.
The airline will serve the route with its spacious 150-seat
Airbus A320 aircraft featuring the most legroom in coach, free firstrun movies on flights to/from Grenada, and unlimited free snacks
and soft drinks.
“The people who have problems coming in they now have an
opportunity,” said Horsford. “Although we have American airlines
coming in but it’s coming in from Miami, JetBlue is coming straight
from New York so it’s a great thing for us. We are looking forward
to this starting off in June”.
In preparation for JetBlue’s inaugural flight to St.George’s, the
tourism minister met with top officials of the airports authority.
Both Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and Foreign Trade Minister
Oliver Joseph as well as the International Monetary Fund have
been highlighting the progress made in restoring fiscal order.
Grenada’s tourism industry has seen record growth last year,
outstripping countries in the region in arrivals with the forecast for
more gains in 2015.
Please refer to the Director’s Editorial for a detailed overview on
Progress in Government.
“Grenada has seen remarkable growth in tourism thanks to a
fresh marketing approach, an extraordinary new Sandals Resort
and a very resilient and committed tourism sector. Combine that
with all the magnificent facets of our tr-island state and we have
a winning formula,” said the Hon. Alexandra Otway-Noel, former
tourism minister and now Minister of Implementation, Government
of Grenada.
We are happy to make a copy of our newsletter available to you.
W
Garraway
Winston Garraway (Sen.)
Minister of State with responsibility for Information
“JetBlue is known to offer quality service and high standards,
and is the perfect addition to our family. We are indeed very pleased
to welcome the inaugural flight on June 11th to Pure Grenada, the
Spice of the Caribbean”
A new road under
construction in the eastern
part of Grenada, linking
Grand Bacolet to Munich is
nearing completion.
Workmen are on the
verge of finishing the paving
work on the road which
passes through Mama
Cannes.
The tough assignments
of base course work and
drain construction have
already been completed.
Project
Coordinator
Kelvon Burke says the road
will be completed in days.
“We are at the finishing
Chief Technical officer
Winston
Gabriel
says
the road bears major
significance.
“It links the eastern
main road and the road at
Munich, St. Andrew’s,” said
Gabriel.
“It is very important in
the event that it may have
any traffic problems or
diversions along the main
road; this road is a very
good loop that carries you
straight into St. Andrew.”
Despite the challenges
of cost, road construction
remains a top priority of the
Keith Mitchell government.
Delta Airlines Will Fly to
Grenada This Summer
Delta Airline has announced that it will be starting a new
weekly service between Atlanta and Grenada this summer.
The United States based airline says the new service
will be operated on Saturdays starting June 6 and ending
August 15, 2015.
News of the new service was first announced during
debate on the 2015 budget by former Tourism Minister
Alexandra Otway Noel.
Delta says it’s using the new Saturday service from
Atlanta to Grenada to decide if the flight will return for the
winter 2015 peak period.
The announcement will be good news for thousands
of Caribbean nationals and Grenadians alike who reside in
Atlanta and have been seeking easier access to the region.
The new service will be a further boost to Grenada’s
tourism industry which made significant strides in 2014
including achieving the highest growth in the region for
arrivals.
Editorial
The Keith Mitchell administration has been
embarking on a deliberate strategy of reducing
expenditure through a number of measures
spearheaded by the work of an active Waste
Reduction Committee; tasked with the goal of
bringing non-personal expenditure down to 20
percent.
The government’s campaign to control
expenditure has also been extended to
statutory bodies as tighter measures have
now been introduced for them to comply with.
This approach to keeping cost down has
Rawle Titus
been working and has been twinned with a
GIS Director
concerted approach to general revenue and
tax collection which has led to significant intake at Inland Revenue.
Therefore, the fiscal gap is narrowing from a high of 18 million
dollars, plummeting into low single digit zone as the economy makes
a gradual climb out of the doldrums.
The local private sector organization has publicly praised the
administration for the strides made in managing the economy over
the past two years.
The IMF itself has publicly praised the administration in
St.George’s for consistently surpassing the targets set out under a
Home Grown Structural Adjustments Programme.
It is interesting to note that the IMF has even revised its economic
growth projections for Grenada, pointing to two percent instead of the
over one percent as originally forecast.
The country’s national debt has just fallen again as debtors have
agreed to a 50 percent haircut, a major coup for the administration
and its ability to continue managing the economy.
There is confidence that the drop in unemployment will continue
as new projects pick up the pace in 2015.
All eyes continue to be on the hotel and general service sector
which has been creating employment in Grenada.
Sandals have just gone live with their new Call Centre in Grenada
with a goal to employ more than 100 persons, the Silver Sands Project
is moving into gear, the Tyrell Bay Marina Project in Carriacou is well
underway as well as the Clarkes Court Bay Marina Project, a potential
game changer when completed.
At the heart of all the major projects and initiatives is a strategy to
further reduce the country’s unemployment figures.
About three thousand young persons have signed on to a paid
internship Imani project and the government is now examining ways
that they can transition into continuous employment at the end of their
internship.
The allocation to small business loans through the Grenada
Development Bank has been significantly increased. A number of
new and growing businesses have blossomed from this initiative
impacting positively on unemployment figures.
Housing continues to be a top priority for the Keith Mitchell
government which has been introducing assistance programmes;
covering home building and home repairs to support low income
earners and locking down deals with Chinese companies for housing
for middle income earners.
While the midterm report captured a significant turnaround in the
local economy the government would be the first to admit that a lot
more has to be done as Grenada forges ahead in a new challenging
era.
Homeowners Get Keys
to
New Chinese Houses
The Keith Mitchell led Government
delivered on its promise when it gave 38
families the keys to homes under the low
income Chinese housing programme at Mt.
Rush, St. George’s.
The hand over came months after the
People’s Republic of China presented the
Master Key to government officials.
Minister for Housing, Hon. Delma
Thomas encouraged the recipients to care
for the units, and to above all, create a clean
and safe environment.
“We want to appeal to the families
getting units here today and those who will
get in future, to cherish and care for it and
its surroundings, keep this as a place that is
clean and safe, a good environment to raise
children,” she admonished.
Minister Thomas said her Government
had been engaging in efforts to provide
housing for its people since the passage of
Hurricane Ivan, and she is overjoyed to see
those efforts come into fruition.
“When our government designed the
concept for this project many years ago...
the intention was always to help the most
vulnerable among us, to help them make a
better day for themselves and their children.
In that regard, we can say here today we
have delivered,” said Minister Thomas.
Also, congratulating the Government of
Grenada on its achievement was President
General of the Technical and Allied Workers
Union, Chester Humphrey.
An Excited Homeowner Receives the Symbolic Key
He said Government’s perseverance was
the key ingredient in making this day possible.
“It’s a fine thing that the People’s Republic
would have done, and we recognise them
for that” he said.“ But that didn’t come by
chance, it came simply because you have a
government that has the capacity to negotiate
and get those benefits, and for that we must
salute and be grateful.”
Hon. Tobias Clement, Parliamentary
Representative for St. George’s North East
said he is happy to see this moment finally
arrive and thanked the Government and
People of the People’s Republic of China for
their contribution to enhancing the lives of
Grenadians.
NHI In 2016
The Grenada government says it is
aiming to have a National Health Insurance Scheme fully up and running
early next year.
Health Minister Nikolas Steele announced on Tuesday that a multisectorial task force is also being setup
to implement the scheme.
An Advisory Committee headed
by trade union leader and senator,
Chester Humphrey, has also recommended the setting up of a secretariat
to spearhead the process.
“The committee has also recommended a possible start date for a National
Health Insurance and that is at the
end of first quarter next year,” Minister
Steele said.
“That is dependent on being able to
find the appropriate sources of finance between now and then and the
Progress that is made but the most
optimistic date for them will be the end
of first quarter”.
The Advisory committee, which began
its work more than a year ago, has
kicked off talks with the National Insurance Scheme, the body targeted to
the run the National Health Insurance
Scheme.
“The most significant action taken
from the report is that dialogue has
begun between the committee members and the National Insurance
Scheme’s board of directors to explore
the possibility as is recommended by
the committee for the National Insurance Scheme to be the manager of
the National Health Insurance,” the
Health Minister said.
“It was felt that they have the skills set
to manage a National Health Insurance Scheme,”the Health Minister
said.
Clarkes Court Bay Marina Project Picks Up Speed
The Construction site of the Clarkes Court Bay Marina
The first building is under construction as workers pick-up
the pace at the Clarkes Court Bay Boatyard and Marina project.
Nearly a hundred local workers are on site of the multimillion
dollar project expected to be a major boost to the island’s
expanding yachting sector.
Implementation Minister Alexandra Otway Noel says she is
pleased with the amount of work accomplished after a recent
visit to the site.
Already calls from around the world are coming in with
queries ranging from an opening date to services to be provided.
General Manager Conor Holmes says Clarke’s Court Bay
Boatyard and Marina will be a game changer and more jobs
will come.
Officials say yachting is among the fastest growing subsector in Grenada’s growing tourism industry.
The Spiceisle Attracts More Tourists
More tourists are expected to visit
Grenada on cruise ships than originally
projected for the next winter season.
That’s the forecast of the Florida
Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)
which is projecting a 15 percent increase in
arrivals for the season starting in September.
The FCCA’s prediction surpasses a
10 percent projection by tourism officials in
Grenada.
Speaking at a recent Post Cabinet
briefing, Minister for Tourism and Civil
Aviation, Hon. Yolande Bain-Horsford,
said things are looking good for Grenada’s
cruise industry.
“It seems like we are going to have
a 15 % growth of cruise lines coming to
Grenada. We are on top of things and things
are rolling very smoothly” said the Tourism
Minister who recently met with the FCCA’s
President at the CSM Seatrade Conference
and Trade Show in Miami.
While at the trade show Minister
Horsford and her Grenada delegation
focused on promoting the purity and
authenticity of Grenada, and held talks with
the likes of Royal Caribbean, Carnival and a
number of other major cruise corporations
in an effort to boost the country’s cruise
tourism market.
“We had a very good discourse with
the cruise executives as we displayed
Grenada’s tourism products,” the Minister
said.
“We engaged some of the ships that
never came to Grenada before and they are
looking seriously at coming to Grenada,”
she said.
The Tourism Minister said the FCCA’s
President, Michele Paige, spoke very highly
of Grenada, in particular, the beauty of the
island.
“Prospects are very bright for Grenada
in moving forward with the cruise industry,”
Minister Horsford said.
No Fear From Falling Oil Prices
oil prices that programme will be under
threat”.
Oil under the PetroCaribe deal
constitutes only 5 percent of Venezuelan’s
oil export .
Minister Joseph has also reported
positive development regarding Grenada’s
arrangement with ALBA.
Grenada need not fear that falling
world oil prices will result in the threat to the
PetroCaribe programme.
In fact, the Venezuelan government has
assured Grenada and other PetroCaribe
member states that once it holds the reins of
power, they will continue to benefit.
“So it’s a very small percentage and
therefore the programme will continue
and that was reiterated by the president,
so we have no need to fear in Grenada
as long as the current government is in
Venezuela,” said Joseph.
“We are very happy because in our
budget a lot of the resources from social
programmes come from PetroCaribe
funds. We will continue to get funding from
ALBA.
“The arrangements are of great
importance to all of you the people of
Grenada and a lot of concerns have been
expressed,” said Minister for Economic
Development Hon. Oliver Joseph.
Grenada and Exim Bank
Reach Agreement
This landmark Agreement, which
reduces the principal outstanding on the
loan by 50%, resolves Grenada’s decadelong dispute with EXIM and puts an end to
the bank’s legal proceedings in the New
York Courts.
Under the Terms of the Agreement,
the post-haircut balance on the loan will
be repayable over 15 years–including a
grace period of three and a half years–at an
interest rate of 7%.
The Agreement also includes a
‘hurricane clause’, which will allow Grenada
to defer payments for a predetermined
period should a natural disaster compromise
the Government’s ability to service debt in a
timely manner in the future.
More Doctors At Princess Alice Hospital
Residents of St. Andrews and the staff
of the Princess Alice Hospital in Mirabeau
have praised a decision by Health Minister
Nickolas Steele to increase the number of
doctors serving the facility.
Meanwhile although there are other
minor challenges that are currently being
addressed at the St. Andrew’s based
Hospital, the Ministry of Health has already
completed the first phase of the project
known as the Princess Alice Hospital
Diagnostic Services Project.
Javan
Williams,
the
Permanent
Secretary with responsibility for community
health services and hospital operations Ministry of Health, says the decision is in line
with the Ministry’s mandate to provide 24hr
services to persons using the hospital.
That project will see the return of
diagnostic services including X-ray and
Ultrasound services as well as some level
of laboratory services at the Princess Alice
Hospital.
He was addressing a ceremony at the
Princess Alice Hospital in celebration of its
65th year of operation.
“This is very clear in the Ministry’s
mandate and it has manifested itself at the
beginning of this year when the Minister
for Health took the decision to improve
the medical doctors quota serving the
facility”, the PS told a large gathering at
the thanksgiving and award ceremony on
Wednesday at the Hospital.
He added that historically there was one
doctor and then it was increased to two for a
very long period.
Top Government Officials at Princess Alice
Hospital 65th Anniversary Celebrations
That project is co-funded and executed
by the Ministry of Health, the Roland
and Nadia Benjamin Foundation and
GRENLEC.
Work has already been completed on
The facility serves more than 25,000
the
new
building where theses services will
persons each year. On assuming the role
be
provided.
of Minister of Health in December of 2014,
Steele vowed to undertake a major overhaul
of healthcare services to meet the growing
demand of the Grenadian people which is a
goal of the Keith Mitchell Government.
per cent projected at an
earlier review.
“So many other people
have been complimenting
us because the international
institutions
are
seeing
Grenada as a model for
what they believe …that
small economies that have
been experiencing deficit
problem… how can they
move to correct it and set a
path for sustained economic
development,” Dr. Mitchell
pointed out.
The Government of Grenada announced
that it has concluded a comprehensive
agreement to restructure its US$36.6 million
(EC$98.8 million) indebtedness to the
Export-Import Bank (EXIM) of Taiwan .
Commenting on the development,
Grenada’s Prime Minister and Minister of
Finance, Dr. The Right Hon. Keith Mitchell,
said “We are very pleased that with this new
agreement we have now been able to work
out much more manageable terms to honour
our debts with EXIM bank.”.
“So on the sixth of March, the president
of Venezuela called a meeting of all the
member states of PetroCaribe …to give
us the assurance that the programme will
continue. The concern was that with falling
IMF S ays G renada O utperforms T argets
After four years in
decline
the
Grenada
economy rebounded in 2013
growing by 3.1 percent and
2.6 percent in 2014.
P.S -Finance Timothy Antoine and IMF Team Brief the Local Media
The two year old Keith
Mitchell government is being
applauded for turning around
a sluggish economy and
outperforming targets set
out in a three-year structural
adjustment programme.
Those
heaping
praise
on the administration in
St.George’s include the IMF and
the president of the Caribbean
Development Bank (CDB) Dr.
William Warren Smith.
“So I think all the
barometers,
all
the
measures, all the variables
have
shown
that
we
are heading in the right
direction”.
The IMF is predicting
economic growth of 2 per cent
this year compared to the 1.1
C arriacou C leared F or C hinese L ow I ncome H ousing P roject
In the year 2005, Grenada made a wise
decision to re-establish diplomatic relations
with the People’s Republic of China.
In that negotiation, the People’s
Republic of China had agreed to give
Grenada two(2) thousand houses for low
income persons amongst many other
supports.
Minister Nimrod said that feasibility
studies like these are the very first step
taken before any form of development
and is very essential.He also added that
this is just the beginning of implementing
the promise of low income houses on
the sister-isle.
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of
Labor, Legal Affairs, Carriacou and Petite
Martinique Affairs and Local Government,
Hon. Elvin Nimrod, led a delegation to
the proposed low income housing site at
Dumfries on the sister-isle of Carriacou.
Though a definite figure have not yet
been assigned for construction, Minister
Nimrod said that he is positive that
approximately 100 low income houses
will be constructed for the benefit of low
income persons on the sister-isle.
Members of the delegation included
Chinese Ambassador for Grenada, H.E.
Ou Boqian and a feasibility studying group
from China, Parliamentary Secretary in
the Ministry of Agriculture, Sen. Hon.
Simon Stiell, Parliamentary Secretary
for Carriacou and Petite Martinique
Affairs, Sen. Hon. Norland Cox, and other
technical workers in the Ministry of works
and Grenada Housing Authority.
MP. Nimrod, Chinese Ambassador Ou Boqian, Sen. Cox
and Chinese Engineering Team visiting the proposed site
Chinese Ambassador for Grenada, H.E. Ou
Boqian, said that her feasibility team is extremely
satisfied thus far with the proposed site for
construction of the houses, and should see the
beginning of construction very soon.
H.E. Ou Boqian commended Hon. Elvin
Nimrod for his dedication and hard work for the
people of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
He expressed the Government’s
concerns
on
job
opportunities.
Therefore, the low income housing
project on the sister-isle is expected to
create local employment.
Minister Nimrod thanked the
People’s Republic of China for keeping
their promise in ensuring that Carriacou
gets its fair share of the low income
housing pie.