Photo caption: (left to right) Roger Clarke, Montserrat Programme Manager for DFID, Sue Wardell, Regional Director for DFID, Chief Minister Reuben T. Meade and Sam Sharpe, Director of Finance and Corporate Performance for DFID.
BRADES, Montserrat (February 07, 2010) – The leadership and focus of the administration of Chief Minister Reuben T. Meade is a key factor in the Department for International Development’s (DFID) willingness to give Montserrat more autonomy in its spending of aid as it has done in other Overseas Territories.
Speaking to members of the local press at the conclusion of a two-day visit, Sue Wardell, the Regional Director for DFID said “strong government leadership, the passing of integrity legislation and the pending resolution to the pension scheme by June 2010” were the main indicators that prompted a move towards seeing Montserrat and DFID as partners.
“The passing of the Integrity legislation is a signal to the UK and to future investors that government is serious about corruption,” said Wardell. “Montserrat is pretty unique from an investment standpoint. You are virtually crime free, no traffic lights, and there are many good reasons to invest here.”
The official, who is on a working visit to the Caribbean to assess how they have been affected by the global economic downturn, said the time was right for DFID to have these types of discussions with Montserrat on framing a new partnership. She called on Chief Minister Meade to prepare a proposal on his government’s long-term vision for Montserrat.
Chief Minister Meade told the press that Montserrat’s relationship with the United Kingdom “must be a partnership. We are inviting Her Majesty’s Government to be a part of that partnership, along with DFID.” He added that the Sustainable Development Plan maps the long term future of the island until 2020.
DFID hopes to streamline the approach to future capital investment for Montserrat, which would enable the government to have “more certainty about what will be available and make the decisions on how it will be spent. We had a really good meeting with the permanent secretaries and each could talk eloquently about what they are doing to support the Road Map. Montserrat has very good people here to get this done.”
Wardell said she and her colleague Sam Sharpe, Director of Finance and Corporate Performance for DFID were very encouraged by the progress the island is making on several fronts. “We are delighted that were able to come to the island by ferry and soon we will leave on a new airline, Air Montserrat,” explained the official.
“When I last visited the island a year ago, the Little Bay project was very much in its initial stages of the first phase but now you can get a real sense of the vision and the new heart of Montserrat.”
She did not disregard the challenges that the island still faces dealing with the increased activity at the Soufriere Hills Volcano. Wardell confirmed that after visiting the Montserrat Volcano Observatory she approved almost EC$ 100,000 to remap the flows from the volcano. A process that is now necessary as consistent pyroclastic flows have changed the surrounding terrain, making previous charts obsolete.
Sam Sharpe was also optimistic about Montserrat’s future stating: “I am delighted to be able to visit Montserrat for the first time and very excited by the optimistic outlook and future development of the island.”
Sharpe said he has already approved three new projects for Montserrat, including an interim package for a housing development for Little Bay, the main road project and the construction of an additional plan for the Public Works Department.
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