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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 23, 2019 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – St. Kitts and Nevis, as a small island developing state with limited capital resources, will continue to welcome foreign direct investment and investors to participate in the development of the country.

That position was expressed by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, who noted that, “If we are to advance as speedily as we would wish and as comprehensively as we would want, we would need to have foreign direct investment.”

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 23, 2019 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Acting Prime Minister, the Honourable Shawn Richards, has assured nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis that the Supervisor of Elections and the staff at the Electoral Office continue to carry out their functions effectively and responsibly to ensure that citizens qualified to vote are duly registered.

“Mr. Elvin Bailey, the Supervisor, has reported that between January and March, some 514 persons were registered, a 270% increase over the 191 persons registered at the same time last year. For April, another 142 persons were enrolled. That is 656 persons for the year or 383 more persons than during the same period last year. There have also been some 174 transfers recorded since January,” acting Prime Minister Richards said in a nationally televised addressed today, Thursday, May 23.

STATEMENT BY ACTING PRIME MINISTER, THE HON. SHAWN RICHARDS, ON CONTINUOUS OPERATIONS AT ELECTORAL OFFICE
23^RD MAY 2019

Fellow Citizens, Good Day!

It has come to my attention that disaffected members of the Opposition Labour Party are planning to carry out a protest at the Electoral Office on Central Street tomorrow, Friday 24 May, in an attempt to disrupt the work of that Office and undermine the confidence that our people have regained in the democratic process since the shenanigans carried on by the Labour Party during the last General Elections. There has been a lot work that has done by the Supervisor of Elections, Registration Officers and the Staff at the Electoral Office, to ensure that the system is sound and that citizens qualified to vote are registered. This process takes place every day and is ongoing.

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 23, 2019 (SKNIS): During an address to the nation on May 23, Acting Prime Minister, the Honourable Shawn Richards, has categorically stated that no one will be denied the right to vote once they are on the Register of Voters, noting that the machine to issue National IDs is down.

His remarks came as a result of the Opposition’s Labour Party’s plan to stage a protest at the Electoral Office on Central Street on Friday, May 24, “in an attempt to disrupt the work of that Office and undermine the confidence that our people have regained in the democratic process since the shenanigans carried on by the Labour Party during the last General Elections.”

Link to Release:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/bb7c8b2d02cf287e7132078a2/files/2503fd18-8390-4d6f-a8b4-5f06b7fe1861/ST._KITTS_NEVIS_LEADERSHIP_IN_TECHNOLOGY_IS_HIGHLIGHTED.02.pdf

ST. KITTS-NEVIS’ LEADERSHIP IN TECHNOLOGY IS HIGHLIGHTED AT DIGITAL ECONOMY CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON Eastern Caribbean Countries Challenged to be Leaders, Not Laggers

May 23^rd, 2019

The Regional Conference titled Digital Economy Moonshot for the Eastern Caribbean opened this morning (Thursday, May 23^rd, 2019) at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group headquartered in Washington, D.C.

During her opening remarks, Tahseen Sayed, Director for the Caribbean Region at the World Bank said, “I am really grateful to Timothy Antoine, the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank for not only igniting our excitement in the [World] Bank, but also leading the charge.  This conference was organized thanks to Governor Antoine.”

The two-day Digital Economy Conference has brought together policy makers and technical teams from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as representatives of the World Bank, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL), the OECS Commission and international companies. They are exploring ways to advance the services within the digital economy throughout the Eastern Caribbean.  This consultative process will help inform an action plan for a regional project to be supported by the World Bank.

Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said during the morning session that an effective approach would call for a new set of skills along with significant investment.  The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis also said stakeholders in the Eastern Caribbean need to really think about how to collectively work with strategic partners in order to access a level of resources that they have not been able to draw upon yet.

In addressing the conference participants, the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said, “When we look back at this conference 10 years from now, we will say this was a pivotal moment.”

The ECCB Governor also said, “If we look at our digital performance indicators, we are laggers and not leaders.  Some countries have made a lot of strides, but when you look at the global situation, we are laggers.”

Mr. Antoine further stated that, “Our region is in search of a new developmental model,” while adding, “This project can potentially drive us forward in that direction.”

The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is a leading player in technology and digital services.  Early in his presentation, the World Bank’s Lead ICT Policy Specialist, Doyle Gallegos commended the country, saying, “We have St. Kitts, which has really pushed the broadband approach.”

In the ICT Development Index (2017) published by the International Telecommunications Union, St. Kitts and Nevis ranked #37 out of 176 countries – the highest ranked country in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).  Within the wider Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis ranked second to Barbados (#34).

The Bahamas (#57), Trinidad and Tobago (#68), Grenada (#73), Antigua and Barbuda (#76), Dominica (#77), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (#82) and Jamaica (#98) scored in the top 100.  St. Lucia ranked #104, Guyana #124 and Haiti #168.