Post-Cabinet Briefing for Monday, February 20, 2023
Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 21, 2023 (SKNIS): The Cabinet Ministers met under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, The Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, on Monday, February 20th, 2023, and made several important decisions to improve the welfare of our people.
The Cabinet welcomed the President and Chairman of the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Dr. Benedict Oramah and his team. Dr. Oramah highlighted the historic agreement between St. Kitts and Nevis and AFREXIMBANK to forge deeper economic, cultural and diplomatic ties with the Caribbean and the African continent. Of note, Dr. Oramah underscored future initiatives for St. Kitts and Nevis on renewable energy, industrial parks, advantages for agriculture, enhancing trade with avenues like the Intra-African Trade Fair, and positively exploiting our country’s vibrant creative economy. On February 17th, 2023, St. Kitts and Nevis became the first CARICOM nation to sign an agreement with the AFREXIMBANK, when Prime Minister, The Hon Dr. Terrance Drew signed the memorandum of understanding during the 44th Meeting of the Conference of the CARICOM Heads of Government in The Bahamas.
The Cabinet also welcomed representatives from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) to discuss the legislative agenda for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) which remains outstanding in St. Kitts and Nevis to date. Mr. Timothy Antoine, Governor of the ECCB relayed the importance of the timely passage of legislation to support regional economic development. Cabinet Chair, The Hon Dr. Terrance Drew gave the ECCB the assurance that the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration would bring the requisite outstanding legislation to Parliament in quick order, following several years of neglect and inaction under the previous administration.
To ensure its goal of sound governance of the people’s affairs, the Cabinet will be engaged in a 2-day leadership and governance training workshop on February 23rd and 24th, 2023. The training will cover promoting good governance; effective public sector management; ethics, integrity and leadership competencies. This training will be facilitated by Dr. Roger Koranteng, Adviser and Head of Public Sector Governance at the Commonwealth Secretariat.