NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 08, 2021) — The progress and quality of work on the construction of the Technical Wing at the Gingerland Secondary School (GSS) has received high marks from an Education official in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).
Hon. Troy Liburd, Junior Minister of Education on Nevis expressed satisfaction with the level of work done on the construction of the state-of-the-art technical wing at the end of a tour of the construction site on February 08, 2021.
“I was very pleased to hear that we can expect the building to be somewhere close to completion by the commencement of the new school year. So our students who attend here at the Gingerland Secondary School could look forward to sometime in the near future or sometime in the next upcoming school year to start inhabiting and using this building.
“I know that all of the things that are going to happen here in this building when it’s complete they are only going to be for the benefit of our students and for the benefit of the island of Nevis. So I am very, very pleased with the progress. I am pleased with the workmanship and the level of work that I have seen. The level of work that I have seen is top quality. So I must say that I am very, very happy about what I have seen here,” he said.
Meantime, Mr. Oswald Wilfred, Construction Manager for Lefco Equipment Rental and Construction Company, contractor for the project acknowledged that construction was moving along well and gave an update on the status.
“So far in relation to progress, I could say that we are progressing fairly well. We hope to increase the progress as we move along to the finishing stages of the project which is happening soon probably in the month of February.
“We definitely feel that we should be able to bring in the project at the recommended time probably a little pass it but according to construction you normally have certain difficulties that you have to encounter,” he said.
Mr. Darius Comberbatch, Engineer for FDL Consult Inc. in St. Lucia, Consultants for the project noted that their main responsibility is to supervise the construction work of the contractor. He explained that according to the plan, progress at this stage is around 60 percent. However, they had fallen just short of that target.
“We are around 56 percent which is around 4 percent light which we believe with the contractors executing the works and continued progress we should be pleased to have the project completed before the start of the next school year which will be to everyone’s benefit,” he said.
The project forms part of the US$8 million St. Kitts and Nevis Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Enhancement Project, an initiative of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Federal Government and the NIA. It is being executed by the TVET Secretariat in the Ministry of Education in St. Kitts.
Also on the tour were Mr. Kevin Barrett, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education in the NIA; Mr. Dorson Ottley, TVET Officer in the Department of Education on Nevis and Mr. Lester Blackett Project Manager.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 03, 2021) — Minister responsible for Water in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) urged staff of the Nevis Water Department to be prepared to adapt in an ever-changing work environment.
The minister was at the time delivering an address to declare the Nevis Water Department Staff Retreat 2021 open. The one-day event was hosted at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre (NEPAC) on February 02, 2021, with the theme “Challenging yourself in a changing working environment.”
“It is important to bear in mind that water is connected to all sectors of our economy, so any changes in one sector can result in change in the working environment of the Nevis Water Department.
“Policy changes by the Nevis Island Administration will affect the working environment. You should however always have the mind-set that changes will occur and that the process of change will be dynamic and fluid. Therefore, you should challenge yourself to adapt in a fast-changing environment,” he said.
The retreat, a first in the department’s 37 years of operation was organised to give staff a better understanding of the department and its function and its role in Nevis; to sharpen skills to better serve the community; to meet and greet each other, and to discuss plans for 2021.
Mr. Brand recommend a number of ways in which the staff could challenge themselves, including the continuation of capacity building.
“I recommend that you continue to build capacity within the water department parallel with encouraging public participation and stewardship of our limited water resources. Timely information and bulletins should always be provided to customers, and they must continue to be educated on changes within the [water] sector.
“I do hope that in 2021 we would see more of this happening using social media, the radio and television to get messages and information to the general public,” he said.
The minister added that he is confident the staff can challenge themselves by collecting and collating data which would help to make better decisions, and to inform the policy makers as to which direction they should take the Nevis water sector. “This has to become a habit and should be deliberately practised by all stakeholders in the department,” he said.
Mr. Brand also encouraged the staff to improve team work in the execution of their duties this year. He noted that team work involves among other things, good communication skills, trust, respect, pooling of human capacity and sharing of ideas to achieve the department’s goals and objectives.
He reminded the management and staff that in the absence of team work in a changing environment they would be setting themselves up to fail.
“You have practiced team work in the recent past when you successfully implemented the CDB [Caribbean Development Bank] Water Supply Enhancement Project as the contractor; when you installed and commissioned the Hamilton water well and installation of the Water Filtration system.
“I have no doubt of your capability and I have every confidence in your collective abilities to continue to achieve great things together,” Minister Brand said.
Among those present at the event were Deputy Premier of Nevis Hon. Alexis Jeffers and Hon. Eric Evelyn.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 14, 2021 (SKNIS): In keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5, which is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, St. Kitts and Nevis is currently developing a National Gender Policy, says Celia Christopher, Director of the Department of Gender Affairs.
Mrs. Christopher was at the time speaking on the radio and television programme “Working for You” on January 13.
She said that since 1999, the Federation has sought to address the integration of gender into its policies and programmes.
“The need therefore for a comprehensive gender policy to assist with the mainstreaming of gender in all sectors of government and civil society is evident,” said Mrs. Christopher.
It was noted that the recommendation from the 2014 Gender Equality Study that was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank further highlighted the need for a National Gender Policy.
“The country needs as a matter of priority to develop a National Gender Policy,” she said.
Mrs. Christopher said that the objective of the National Gender Policy is to provide an institutional framework that will assist the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis in facilitating gender equality and empowerment in keeping with Sustainable Development Goals and other international instruments, which the state is a signatory.
She further stated that the policy will ensure that men and women have equal access to resources.
“This is key because in society we have all sorts of groups out there, men and women. But they must be able to have equal access to all of the resources in the country, participate equally in every area of national endeavour, and that cultural barriers to the realization of equality are addressed,” said Director Christopher.
Mrs. Christopher noted that although St. Kitts and Nevis has enshrined in its Constitution non-discrimination on the grounds of sex, and is a signatory to several international conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979) and the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality (1995), there is still a significant disparity between the de facto and de jure Equality.
The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has since 1999 sought to introduce the full definition of gender while also addressing the integration of gender into its policies and programmes.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 27, 2020) – The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is in the process of renegotiation its existing geothermal arrangement with NREI (Nevis Renewable Energy International) that would see consumers on Nevis paying less for the renewable energy when it comes on stream.
Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis and Minister of Energy in the NIA, made the disclosure when he gave an update on the geothermal project, during his monthly press conference on November 26, 2020.
He explained that it was previously negotiated that the NIA would get 12.5 percent equity in the project in addition to a 10 percent royalty. The latest revision of the arrangement, he said, calls for a greater percentage of the savings being passed on to the consumers.
“We’ve had now to go back to look at that because the designation of royalty was not sitting so well with agencies that would provide funding, but funding on the basis that every penny of savings had to be passed on to the consumer.
“So we have had to go back to the drawing board to look and see how we do not dilute the interest of the people of Nevis…but at the same time, we pass on the maximum savings to them.
“I can tell you that based on the negotiations thus far, an initial price per kilowatt hour of US $0.19 has been renegotiated down to US $0.15 and we’re still working to see if we can bring that down even further,” he revealed.
Premier Brantley said based on information he has received, the NIA is going through the final iterations of the revised documentation for geothermal.
“I think that we are making good progress. The piece of that puzzle that was always the bugbear was the financing. The Caribbean Development Bank[CDB] has been very, very helpful to us. They’ve been involved with us now and we have a new company involved called Albioma, and of course the holder of the concession for Nevis is a company called NREI…
“They have been working along with a local group headed by our Legal Adviser Hélèn Lewis, also Dr. Ernie Stapleton, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of [Public] Works, and Minister Spencer Brand who is the local minister.
“So there’s been an ongoing discussion that has also included NEVLEC [Nevis Electricity Company Limited], which will be the off taker of the power, and so we are hopeful that after all this delay and all this time we will have some good news to report in short order,” he said.
Mr. Brantley expressed confidence that Nevis will successfully harness geothermal energy in light of the fact that the project is at an advanced stage, and experts have reported that Nevis possesses commercial grade viable geothermal resource.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 07, 2020 (SKNIS): As part of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Enhancement Project, the Gingerland Secondary School in Nevis will soon be outfitted with a new technical wing in order to facilitate the teaching and learning of TVET subjects.
During the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the new technical wing of the school, Minister of Education, the Honourable Jonel Powell, said that the occasion is another landmark event in the implementation stage of the TVET Enhancement Project.
Minister Powell stated that the TVET Enhancement Project is an initiative of the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. The project is funded jointly by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Nevis Island Administration to the tune of US $8 million.
The project resides within the Ministry of Education with the TVET Secretariat as its executing agency responsible for implementation.
The Minister of Education said that persons should no longer think of education in the traditional sense of being successful in CXC examinations.
“Education must also be seen as embracing and encompassing the technical vocational and training aspects of the growth and development of all of our citizens,” he said. “At this juncture in our national economic development, it must become second nature for all of our people to develop a skill or talent or an ability or the capacity that will make us capable of doing more than just sitting CXC examinations.”
Minister Powell said that the TVET Enhancement Project is another initiative that promotes the Team Unity Government’s agenda of putting people to work.
“Put another way, when you have a skill you not only become marketable, but you become self-employable,” he said.
The TVET Enhancement Project is designed to ensure that programmes in the nation’s schools and colleges are fit for the purposes for present and future generations of students, said the minister.
He added that the project is destined to foster capacity building among students, teachers, instructors, and leaders in various TVET fields.
The new structure will comprise two floors. The ground floor will measure 352 square meters, while the first floor measures 362 square meters inclusive of walkways and veranda.
The total building, excluding the stairways and ramps, is approximately 417 square feet. It houses a cosmetology centre, wood works shop, and classroom on the ground floor with an electrical laboratory, technical drawing and general class on the first floor.
The structure will provide the necessary space to meet the CVQ (Caribbean Vocational Qualification) and NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) facility standards. The building will give Nevis its first CVQ ready facility, which will then be audited by CXC and the SKN TVET Council for Centre approval and designation as a CVQ/NVQ Centre.
The estimated cost of the wing is $3.9 million.
]]>July 27, 2020, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (PAHO)– The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) today launched the “Stronger Together” campaign to assist communities in promoting mental wellbeing and positive coping strategies during times of stress and crisis.
The campaign, which is launched as countries of the Caribbean navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing hurricane season, aims to raise awareness of mental health and provide tools and information to promote psychosocial support.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our lives in unprecedented ways, triggering reactions of fear, depression, anxiety and worry. These effects will likely be exacerbated as countries face the 2020 hurricane season. We appreciate the partnership with CDB to launch The Stronger Together campaign, which aims to build resilience and help people remain calm, connected, safe and hopeful,” said Jessie Schutt-Aine, PAHO Subregional Program Coordinator, Caribbean.
“Stronger Together” will also tackle the stigma associated with accessing mental health services. The campaign places a special focus on vulnerable people, such as children and adolescents, women, older persons, persons with disabilities, essential workers, and people with pre-existing conditions. It will also help start conversations around gender issues, including the different roles that men and women have in the family and the community, a possible rise in gender-based violence during the pandemic, and the importance of ensuring that all communication products are more accessible to persons with disabilities.
“Personal resilience is a key requirement for sustainable human development and its nexus with mental health and wellness and positive coping strategies is well-documented, yet these areas are often overlooked. This served as a catalyst for this CDB/PAHO partnership,” said Deidre Clarendon, Division Chief, Social Sector Division, CDB.
The campaign forms part of a joint project by PAHO and CDB on mental health and psychosocial support in disaster management, and follows a recent capacity building initiative for journalists and health communicators on responsible reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on mental health.
The awareness campaign will run until November 2020 and includes an illustrated booklet on psychological first aid; an audio version of the illustrated booklet; a social media package; public service announcements for radio; human interest stories, and a radio jingle to be broadcast across the Caribbean Region.
]]>July 23, 2020, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CDEMA) – Critically needed personal protective equipment
(PPE) is on its way to medical workers on the front lines of the Caribbean’s COVID-19
pandemic response.
Yesterday, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency
Management Agency (CDEMA) took delivery of the majority of US$3 million worth of PPE at
the Port of Bridgetown. CDB procured and purchased the equipment with concessional
resources through the Bank’s Special Development Fund.
Speaking at the event, President, Dr Wm Warren Smith reiterated the Bank’s commitment to
helping its Borrowing Member Countries to cope with the effects of COVID-19.
“The coming months are likely to be particularly challenging, given the uncertainties
surrounding COVID-19. Helping our Borrowing Member Countries to build resilience against
shocks like COVID-19 remains high on CDB’s development agenda,” stated Dr Smith.
In her welcome remarks, Executive Director (ag.) of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley shared the work
the agency has done to establish the regional hub that will be used to distribute the PPE to 13
other Caribbean countries.
“To support our Participating States, CDEMA has established an Integrated Regional Logistics
Hub in Barbados, which serves as a primary repository and transhipment point for COVID-19
related relief supplies and aids the coordination of humanitarian logistics. This critical and
timely support from the Caribbean Development Bank will strengthen the capacity of our
Participating States in times of greatest need,” noted Riley.
Cooperation between key regional partners was central to being able to source and distribute
the equipment in the face of the intense competition for PPE, once the global pandemic started
severely affecting many countries.
In light of such competition, CDB purchased the equipment on a pooled basis so that each
beneficiary country could take advantage of economies of scale.
At the agency level, Barbados Port Inc. (BPI) agreed to offer warehousing facilities at the Port
of Bridgetown to facilitate the storage, sorting and repacking of the equipment. BPI also agreed
to the waiver of associated port charges.
In his address, Barbados’ Minister of the Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, Honourable Kirk
Humphrey, noted that recent improvements in port operations aligned with BPI’s vision of
becoming a regional logistics hub.
“The Port is becoming a lot more digital… we are working with the Caribbean Development
Bank on the [development of a] port community system as well as we transform the way we
do business. This is a good time to make the Bridgetown Port your integrated regional logistic
hub,” stated Minister Humphrey.
Further cooperation came from the Pan American Health Organization and the Caribbean
Public Health Agency, which worked closely with national governments to identify their PPE
needs and provide guidance on what goods should be supplied.
The shipments include 35,000 protective suits, 111,000 isolation gowns, over 67,000 goggles,
250,000 protective gloves and 160,000 masks.
CDB also partnered with Crown Agents out of the United Kingdom to secure the equipment
which was sourced from providers in Germany and China.
The PPE will go to Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica,
Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago
Lodge Hill, St. Michael July 21, 2020 (Barbados Today): Caribbean News Service (CNS) LIAT’s major shareholders have reached an agreement, which Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said could see the airline flying again “in 60 to 90 days.”
The shareholder, which also includes the governments of Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, met virtually late on Monday for Browne to present a plan to reorganize the cash-strapped LIAT.
He said, “The meeting went very well, the tone of the meeting was very respectful, the interventions were heard and we came to the consensus that we should sell the three planes that are owned by LIAT and charged to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)”.
He continued, “What that will do, that will help to literally eliminate the debt from LIAT’s books for those planes, and, in addition, the proceeds will be utilized to pay down the loan, even though there would be a residual value. The governments will continue to make payment on the residual value after the proceeds of the planes are applied to the loans at the Caribbean Development Bank,” Browne explained.
The Antiguan leader said there are a number of LIAT-related loans with the CDB.
He said, “There’s a re-fleeting loan and you also would have had a number of additional loans that were extended to the governments in order to support LIAT over the years. So, if you were to aggregate all of them, after the aircraft would have been sold and the proceeds applied, I believe there will be a shortfall of about US$45 million, which will be shared proportionally by the shareholder governments and obviously we will have to service those loans until they are retired”.
Prime Minister Browne said his colleague prime ministers must be congratulated for this very important step towards saving the LIAT brand.
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