Archives

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 17, 2019 (SKNIS): At his monthly press conference on January 16, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris highlighted a number of capital projects that will make a name for the Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd and said that “he will well be remembered as the Minister who had been most efficient and effective in the delivery of public infrastructure in this country.”

“His record in less than four years is second to none in the history of Parliamentary representation and self-control of government affairs so I congratulate him,” said Prime Minister Harris.

The Prime Minister noted that there are four projects that fall under Minister Liburd’s portfolio that will be further rolled out this year. These are the Old Road Rehabilitation Project, the Resurfacing of the Island Main Road, the Fisheries Breakwater Pier and the RLB International Airport runway resurfacing.

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 17, 2019 (SKNIS): The preparatory work for the construction of the new Basseterre High School (BHS) this year is progressing, says Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris at this monthly press conference on January 16, 2019.

“The drawings are being reviewed by a Technical Committee chaired by Dr. Halla Sahely prior to submission to the Development Control and Planning Board,” said the prime minister.

The ultramodern high school will be located on about 14 acres of land at Pond’s Extension in East Basseterre. It will provide 32 classrooms, a music centre with two dedicated music rooms, at least four science labs and six computer labs, a dedicated lecture room, five dedicated vocational workshops, teachers’ lounge, counselling and health service facilities, an auditorium with seating capacity for a minimum of 1,200 persons and upgraded sporting facilities to meet international standards. All floors and rooms of the new BHS will be accessible for wheelchair egress via code compliant ramps, while the amenities will cater to those who are differently abled.

PDF Link to Full Text of Prime Minister Harris’ Opening Statement:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/bb7c8b2d02cf287e7132078a2/files/25bb3049-8cb0-4cbe-80a3-ca67017e4bf1/PM_Harris_Pressconfjanuary162019.pdf

Opening Statement by the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, 
Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, at his Monthly Press Conference 
Parliamentary Lounge, Government Headquarters, Basseterre
Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Fellow Citizens and Residents, representatives of the media, I wish all of us a wonderful New Year and I hope that 2019 will be a remarkable year for the positive things that our people and the Country will accomplish. 2018 was a very positive one for us.  Our economy grew for the 4th year in a row and our fiscal performance saw surpluses on every account i.e. Recurrent, Overall and Primary.   It is the accumulation of surpluses that has provided the wherewithal for your government to do good things for so many people and to move the Country forward in the right direction.  As a new government, we have been able to do in less than 5 years what some governments have not been able to do in 20 years.  This is a blessing, which our people truly deserve, and we give God the Glory.

Tourism

According to the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA), some 149,871 passengers came through the Robert L. Bradshaw (RLB) International Airport in 2018, compared to 140,338 in 2017.  This represents an additional 9,533 passengers over 2017 for a seven (7) percent increase year on year. Some 7,947 flights came to the RLB Airport in 2018 – up 315 over the 7,632 flights in 2017. Regarding cruise tourism, SCASPA is reporting cruise passenger arrivals of 1,103,571 in 2018 versus 1,058,662 cruise passengers in 2017.  This represents an increase of 44,909 passengers. Twice in our history – and only under Team Unity – we have passed the one (1) millionth cruise passenger milestone. Congratulations to all stakeholders in the industry and to the Honourable Lindsay Grant, our Minister of Tourism.

For 2019, we witnessed a record number of arrivals by air with RLB Airport receiving the largest number of passenger arrivals on 5^th January 2019 when over 2,728 passengers travelled through our international airport.  Our RLB airport is now twenty (20) years old. There has been no major expansion over that period. Given the record-breaking arrivals, the increase in airlifts and new destinations from which we now access direct flights, our Administration must seriously determine the next steps in the modernization and expansion of the RLB Airport.   In the interim, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) and related Departments such as Tourism, Immigration and Customs will work cooperatively with other stakeholders to determine and implement measures to enhance the customer experience at the RLB Airport.

Capital Projects

I am pleased to report that the following projects are poised for early implementation in 2019.