Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens of Grenada,

It is my great honour to welcome you to this celebration of “One Year of Transformational Progress.” This evening, I invite you to join me as we reflect on the remarkable journey we have taken together since June 23, 2022, and to allow yourselves to envision the endless possibilities for the future we can create together.

Twelve months ago, you—the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique—gave our government the mandate to transform our beloved nation. To disrupt the status quo, refocus our priorities and reimagine the future that we collectively want for Grenada.

For our team, this opportunity to effect positive change in our communities is a privilege we hoped for, that many of us prayed for, and one that I can assure you my Cabinet Ministers and I take very seriously.

From the onset, our ambitions for Grenada were high. In fact, we often faced criticism because many thought that our aspirations were too high and may not be attainable.

But we were resolute in our belief that you only get back what you invest. If we are not prepared to invest in our people, in our physical and digital infrastructure and in our resilience as a small island state that is inherently vulnerable to the effects of climate change, then we are not prepared to govern in the 21st century. We would be doing a disservice to you, our people, and to future generations of Grenadians.

We therefore set out to create a government that would listen to citizens, actively endeavour to understand the needs expressed by our people, and work towards attainable solutions. Tonight, I stand before you with pride and hope, for we have made significant strides toward this vision.

Building a Strong Foundation

Upon assuming office, it was clear that we would have an uphill climb. Key cornerstones necessary for the development of a prosperous nation, such as a robust healthcare system, effective education models and accessible and reliable digital infrastructure, were woefully lacking.

We also inherited a workforce that, understandably and unfortunately, had grown disheartened by a lack of compassion, and in some cases gross disrespect, over the course of many years.

We therefore knew that improving labour relations, and regaining the trust of our nation’s workforce, would be one of the first orders of business, as we embarked on this journey that would require all-hands-on-deck.

A major milestone in this first year was the payment of the retroactive pensions and gratuity, which was a campaign promise that we were keen to bring to fruition as soon as possible. Our people, our workers, who gave so much of their lives to building our nation deserved better.

The payment of the pensions and gratuity pumped approximately $75 million into the economy, which is arguably the single largest transfer of wealth from the State to citizens in Grenada’s post-independence history.

This payment did not bankrupt our economy, as we have seen, but has instead allowed many of our pensioners, who were regrettably plunged into poverty after retiring, to support themselves once more and to feel proud of their years of service to Grenada.

In the same vein, we were eager to pay our teachers their salaries that were docked since 2018. After just one month in office, on July 29, 2022, we actioned the repayment of $1.2 million in docked salaries to 1,721 teachers and other public servants.

We also approved an honorarium for our nurses of $500 per month or $6,000 per year, until we can improve their working conditions.

In this first year, we have also had record signings of salary and wage increase agreements with bargaining entities, signing 4, 4 & 5% for the years 2023, 2024 & 2025, respectively, with the Grenada Union of Teachers, the Grenada Manual, Maritime and Intellectual Workers’ Union, the Royal Grenada Police Force Negotiating Team and the Prison Officers’ Welfare Association, which represent more than half of the public service. We have also had word that the Bank and General Workers Union has indicated an intention to sign and hope that the outstanding bargaining entity, the Public Workers Union would soon come to the table for an agreement.

We are extremely pleased with the cordial and respectful manner of the negotiations, having witnessed the struggles of our workers in past years. Under this administration, we will seek to bring all salary and wage increases up to date and set timeframes for future increases. This will allow our workers to budget and plan their expenses accordingly.

Another major milestone in this first year was the implementation of bi-monthly payments for all government workers and pensioners. We expect that by September of this year, all statutory bodies and government or state-owned entities will do the same.

While we have achieved significant progress in the ambit of labour relations, we recognise that there is still so much to be done.

The matters of the regularisation of workers and pension reform are still high on the Government’s agenda. I am happy to report that the Draft Regularisation Framework is now at an advanced stage, with rollout expected in the latter half of this year and the start of 2024 and the Pension Reform Committee is actively working on a new public service pension plan which should be completed by January 2024.

Nationwide consultations on the minimum wage, with a view to amending the Minimum Wage Order, are still underway, and I call on the Unions to display more leadership in these discussions.

Strengthing the Economy

A prosperous Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique requires a healthy economy, fueled by a thriving private sector. In the past year, we have taken bold steps to bolster our economy and create a fertile environment for investment and entrepreneurship.

We reimagined the COVID-19 Economic Support Secretariat or CESS grant to provide real opportunities for entrepreneurs, or aspiring entrepreneurs, to take their business ideas to the next level.

The response from citizens was overwhelming, highlighting a keen interest amongst Grenadians to delve into the world of entrepreneurship. Under this initiative, we were able to provide 506 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) grants of up to a maximum of $30,000 to invest in their businesses, totaling an amount of $8.3 million.

Other areas of business support provided by the Government in this first year include grants from the Rural Development Unit amounting to over half a million dollars; and loans amounting to approximately $9 million through a partnership with the Grenada Development Bank (GDB). Additionally, we reduced the governmental fees required to start a business from $1,200 to $600.

Strengthening Relations with International Funding Agencies

Though our ideal vision for Grenada is one where we can support our own development initiatives, we accept that we are not yet there, and therefore require the support of various international lending agencies to meet our obligations.

A review of our financial standing and the implementation rates on the many projects and initiatives that our lenders entrusted to us to manage were lukewarm at best and, in many cases, utterly shameful. It was not surprising that upon entering office, we were advised by several development partners and funding agencies that Grenada was on the verge of losing major projects, totaling millions of dollars.

At this point, I must commend our Minister of Mobilisation, Implementation and Transformation, Hon. Andy Williams, who truly mobilised efforts to renegotiate these contracts to ensure that the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique would not lose the benefits of these transformational projects.

The OECS Tourism Competitiveness Project is one such initiative. This project, which seeks to revitalise Fort George, was six years old and the implementation rate stood at 0%. We can now proudly report, one year in, that this project is currently at 63%.

Other projects that we were able to successfully renegotiate include:

• the Digital Governance for Resilience (DG4R) project, which seeks to help public officers adapt to the digital era, with a focus on sustainable economic growth and development.
• the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UK CIF) Facility, for the implementation of the capital phase of the Southern St. George’s Water Supply Expansion Project; and
• the Climate-Resilient Agriculture for Integrated Landscape Management (CRA) Project, which seeks to ensure sustainable agricultural practices. To date, the implementation rate of the MIT Ministry stands at 87% – this deserves a round of applause for the team at this Ministry.

In addition to our proactive efforts to repair our professional relations with development partners and regain their trust as a responsible borrower, we have sought to repair Grenada’s ailing financial standing with lending institutions which has resulted in a credit rating of “Selected Default” due to longstanding arrears to Libya, Algeria and Trinidad and Tobago.

Within four months of assuming office, we were able to successfully negotiate the repayment of arrears owing to the state of Libya in the amount of $13.5 million and we are in ongoing negotiations with Algeria and Trinidad and Tobago to resolve longstanding debts.

Additionally, our administration continues to seek new avenues of beneficial partners for Grenada’s development agenda. To this end, we have entered a partnership with the Afreximbank to strengthen trade and investment links between Africa and the CARICOM Member States, with potential significant funding available specifically to Grenada.

We are also at an advanced stage of negotiations with the Saudi Development Fund towards the development of a transformational Climate Smart Infrastructure Programme; and we intend to join CAF, the Green Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, within the coming weeks.

Increasing Investment

Through strategic policies and initiatives, we have attracted both local and foreign investors, targeting stimulated growth in key sectors such as health, tourism, agriculture, renewable energy and the creative economy.

Of note is the increased interest by Grenadians in the Diaspora to invest locally, especially in the healthcare sector. These endeavours are wholly welcomed by our administration, and we encourage more Grenadians in the Diaspora to explore opportunities at home.

One of the major drivers of investment is our Citizenship By Investment (CBI) Programme, which contributes significantly to Grenada’s overall development. The programme serves as an economic buffer, especially during external shocks such as hurricanes, and other natural disasters, and health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our CBI Programme performance has improved year on year. In the first three (3) months of 2023, we have seen an 89% increase in revenue earned from Citizenship By Investment compared to the same period in 2022 i.e., $56.7m compared with $30.0m.

We continue to work with all stakeholders, including regional and international agencies, to adapt and develop the necessary standards, regulations, and internal control systems to reduce the risk profile of the sector and mitigate existing risks on an on-going basis.

These initiatives have already or will translate into new job opportunities for our people, empowering our citizens to build better lives for themselves and their families.

Setting the Stage for True Transformation

Our commitments and focus over this past year went beyond economic prosperity. We sought to lay the building blocks for a society that is rooted in equality and empowerment, where every citizen has a real opportunity to realise their full potential.

Education

In this past year, we were able to move the needle on some urgent initiatives, such as the removal of school fees and the recent introduction of universal secondary education to ensure that our children are not leaving school before they are adequately prepared to effectively contribute to society as adults.

Additionally, first steps on the move to close the gap between the skills needed in our society and those offered in schools have been taken, with skills training being reintroduced from the primary school level.

Social Assistance

We have begun the work needed to clean up social assistance programmes to ensure that abuse within the system is reduced and to ensure that the individuals who genuinely need State assistance are the ones who receive it.

The Support for Empowerment Education and Development (SEED) recertification exercise is still underway, however with the savings derived from the elimination of errors thus far, we were able to add 500 new cases to the SEED programme in April 2023. Moreover, we have expanded the programme to include Carriacou and Petite Martinique for the first time.

Affordable housing, which was graciously donated to the people of Grenada by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, have been retrofitted and upgraded by our team to include cabinetry, which will further improve the living comfort of beneficiaries. We expect to hand over the 647 units starting in July of 2023.

Our promise to make internet connectivity more widely available, as part of the Government’s digital literacy drive, will soon be a reality with our recent partnership with

FLOW on the Jump Programme which will see the introduction of free Wi-Fi in public recreational spaces and, importantly, approximately 1,500 unconnected Grenadian households will benefit from subsidised broadband, paying only $20 monthly.

Healthcare

On the health front, we are at an advanced stage of negotiations to acquire 90 acres of land for a new hospital in the Calivigny area, with completion of negotiations expected in the coming weeks. This property is envisioned to house Grenada’s modern, state-of-the-art teaching hospital, but will also be designed to encourage the development of specialised private health clinics, and health-related enterprises within the campus.

Agriculture & the Marine Industry

In Agriculture, we arrested the difficult situation at the Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB) and the restructuring process is currently underway with plans to reopen later this year as a public private partnership.

The construction of the modern Windward Fish Centre and jetty which recently began on Carriacou also serves as an integral part of the Government’s plans to make Carriacou and Petite Martinique hubs for Grenada’s marine industry.

The Environment, Renewable Energy

In this first year, we have begun investigations into viable alternative energy sources for Grenada. To date, we have identified five (5) potential sites for solar and wind farms and work is ongoing for geothermal energy.

To ensure the continued protection of our environment, especially our coast, the Climate Smart Infrastructure Programme will seek to address the coastal damage across the island.

Additional noteworthy initiatives include the introduction of colour coded recycling bins by the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority to begin the process of waste separation, exploration into the potential use of the sargassum seaweed for fuel, and the introduction of a ban on printing in government offices to no more than 5 pages, which will evolve into a complete ban on printing by next year.

The Creative Industries

Finally, in the creative sector, we launched the Grenada Office of Creative Affairs (GOCA) this year, which serves as the primary administrative home for the Creative Economy, with the core objective of championing, connecting, supporting, and investing in creative people and businesses.

Through GOCA, we hosted Grenada’s first-ever Cultural and Creative Industries Conference, “UNLEASH.” Perhaps I was saving the best for last because this transformational conference was the embodiment of the potential that we have in Grenada for excellence.

Building the Grenada of the Future

Citizens, the ability to move the needle on so many projects, in so many different sectors, during this first year was indeed inspirational but it highlighted the fact that we have so much further to go.

My friends, we have only begun to scratch the surface of the possibilities that exist in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

The transformation we seek will require us to make decisive choices for our nation’s future. Bold decisions which would affect our trajectory for the next twenty-five (25) years.

Do we continue to invest in fossil fuels? Or do we make the decision now to commit to renewable energy, and invest instead in wind and solar farms? Carriacou and Petite Martinique provide an ideal location to test the feasibility of this avenue.

Do we continue to educate our nation’s youth in the way we have been educated for centuries, static in a standard classroom? Or do we invest in technology now that helps our students to be at the forefront of advancements in artificial intelligence?

Do we continue to limp along with a broken healthcare system? Or do we invest in a modern teaching hospital, health tourism, National Health Insurance and better terms and conditions of employment and service for our health care practitioners?

Do we continue to import vehicles burning gasoline and diesel, allowing them to be cheaply dumped on us? Or do we pivot and purchase electric vehicles that are environmentally friendly and suited to our geography and climate?

The same applies to our approach to agriculture, fishing and many other aspects of our nation.

These are the nature of the questions and decisions that we intend to address, soon. And so, I ask that you ponder these questions extensively, especially our young people, so that we may have meaningful consultations on these matters in the coming months.

We would like to hear your boldest ideas for the future of our beloved homeland, let your imaginations roam freely. In the words of Albert Einstein. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

It is that imagination that led to Grenada being declared an independent nation almost fifty (50) years ago. As we approach this important and privileged milestone, we must once again find that imagination to allow for greater achievement for the next fifty (50) years.

I take this opportunity to announce that a special select committee of persons, led by Dr. Wendy Crawford, and which includes a representative from each parish, have been appointed to organise and manage Grenada’s 50th independence celebrations. The celebrations will commence in earnest in September 2023 and will span the entire year of 2024.

As part of our Golden Jubilee, I am happy to report that Cabinet has approved and made a request of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, or ECCB, to issue a special celebratory, commemorative $50.00 E.C. note to mark Grenada’s 50th year of independence. We anticipate that the ECCB Council, which will be meeting in July, will agree and approve the request.

Conclusion

Throughout this past year, we have witnessed the transformative power of unity and determination. We have seen how the spirit of collaboration and community spirit can break down barriers and forge new paths to progress.

I extend sincere gratitude to every citizen of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique for believing in our vision and for giving our team the opportunity to serve. I also thank every citizen who reached out over this past year to offer advice, to let us know when you thought we were doing well, and even when you thought we were going off track, because this helps us to be better in the future.

We are even more convinced now, one year in, that as a people, we can achieve any goal if we work together.

I ask that you continue to support our initiatives. We look forward to continued engagements through town hall meetings, constituency visits and community walkabouts. May the connections that we have fostered in this first year only grow from strength to strength in the years ahead. We are in this together.

The work has just begun, and we remain ready – with our boots on the ground. Thank you, and may God continue to bless Grenada!