Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 16, 2020 (SKNIS): Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, delivered a powerful and motivating message to the young people of the Federation during his Commemorative Address at the National Heroes Park in observance of National Heroes Day on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.
“To our young people, who are in the spring of their lives, I say to you that a hero lies in you. It is your destiny as a citizen of this great land of St. Kitts and Nevis, but the hero will not emerge by osmosis. It must be nurtured, nurtured with the values and traditions that we Kittitians and Nevisians hold dear: self-discipline and industry; respect for elders; drive for improvement and advancement; service to others; embracing our shared responsibilities; setting our dreams and aspirations as high as you choose, and taking the first steps towards them. You can achieve anything with the strength of your will and the love of a nation,” said Prime Minister Harris.
Dr. Harris encouraged the youth population to never give up.
“You, my young people in this modern world, can achieve anything with the strength of your will and the love of a nation behind you,” said PM Harris noted. “There are some of you who will doubt what you can achieve because of the present economic and social circumstances. Hurtful as the economic and health crises are now we can all be assured they too will pass. Let us not allow temporary circumstances to diminish our dreams, even as the government tries to alleviate as best it can any and all hardships being felt by our citizens and residents.”
The prime minister reflected on the Ministry of Entertainment, Talent Development and Entrepreneurship and noted that through this ministry young people will be given the opportunity to advance themselves.
“Our new Ministry of Entertainment, Talent Development and Entrepreneurship shall be a legacy Ministry. We will look back in time to realize so much good would have come to our young people from its work. The opportunities for self-actualization, income generation and fame would have been magnified through the formation and work of this Ministry,” he said. “It is still true that the greatest gift we can give to our young people is the gift of education and next in line is the gift of opportunity. The opportunity to be, to become, to learn, to do.”
PM Harris pledged to “use every working moment to advance the cause and welfare of the people of St Kitts and Nevis”, adding that “with God’s grace working together we shall make St Kitts and Nevis a better place.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 26, 2020 (SKNIS): The policies guiding the operations and programmes of the new Ministry of Entertainment, Entrepreneurship and Talent Development are being advanced as the government works to fulfil its mandate to promote and enhance opportunities for creatives.
Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, is the minister charged with leading the new ministry. She stated that there was no budgetary allocation for the government ministry as it did not exist in 2019 when the Budget was passed. Funding measures are being reviewed as the groundwork for the establishment of various divisions is being considered.
“It is the aim of the ministry to be able to provide support to persons, especially innovation to creatives such as musicians, artists, videographers and [others],” Minister Byron-Nisbett said on Tuesday’s (August 25, 2020) edition of the Leadership Matters Virtual Forum Series. “We want to be able to provide you with the support to grow your business or even to be able to market your business.”
The minister added that the assistance extends to persons wishing to start a business. This includes sharing advice and information on the necessary steps to be taken as well as training.
Individuals will have the opportunity to weigh in on some of the services provided by the new ministry. Town hall-styled meetings will be held shortly to gather the opinions and suggestions of persons about how the ministry should “evolve and grow.”
“It is a brand new ministry, mostly geared towards young entrepreneurs, entertainers, and persons within the creative space and so we will be reaching out to persons within that space to help shape this new ministry in an effort to see how we can help you to help yourselves …” Honourable Byron-Nisbett said.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, July 15, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has identified, and is making the necessary investments into three specific industries – agriculture, entertainment and the arts, and the cannabis industry – in which the people of St. Kitts and Nevis can be engaged in to earn a living during this time of uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two of the Federation’s main economic drivers, the tourism and the manufacturing sectors, were significantly disrupted when the deadly virus reached St. Kitts and Nevis, forcing lockdowns and the implementation of other precautionary measures by the Government. Majority of persons have since returned to work under strict compliance with COVID-19 regulations.
Appearing on the most recent edition of Leadership Matters on Tuesday, July 14, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris emphasized that there are opportunities for young persons and those interested in agriculture to become engaged.
Dr. Harris noted that agriculture was one of the sectors which his Government strategically targeted for assistance through its $120-million stimulus package.
“Crop farming, livestock farming, and fisheries were the critical areas in which we engaged. We provided support and we continue to do so in terms of compensation to livestock farmers who would have lost their animals as a result of COVID-19. We continue to provide support in the provision of fencing wires, free harrowing services, free inputs such as seeds and seedlings to assist farmers in getting started so that they can make a more meaningful contribution to food security, and the Department of Marine Resources has been providing a number of items of support to our fisherfolk. So, no one is being left behind,” the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Harris said his Team Unity Government remains committed to establishing a cannabis industry and has since agreed on the creation of a Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) that will manage and regulate the industry in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Indeed, the next step was for us to advertise and recruit someone, a marijuana tsar if you will, who would have become the project champion in terms of the buildout of this particular activity and we are still committed to doing that,” Dr. Harris said, while acknowledging that there is still much to be done in this regard.
The honourable prime minister highlighted that the entertainment industry worldwide remains a multi-billion dollar sector, and one which St. Kitts and Nevis must seriously look to tap into going forward.
He added, “This is an area which we are so serious about that we have set up a ministry, a Ministry of Entertainment, Talent Development and Entrepreneurship to assist in a focused response to the development of the talents of our people and they being able to benefit in a profitable way from engagement in entertainment with all the necessary support including intellectual property protection.”
At present, the St. Kitts and Nevis Government is taking steps to restore the hotel and hospitality sector back to a state of near normalcy during the last quarter of 2020.
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