Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 24, 2022 (SKNIS): Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources Fisheries and Cooperatives; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and Sports and the Creative Economy, the Hon. Samal Duggins has begun work and has pledged to bring transformative change to the ministries that are under his purview.
Minister Duggins, during a meet and greet engagement of staff within his ministries on August 23, 2022, said that his ministries entail critical sectors that can bring about significant growth in the economy.
“So, today I have been touring a number of my Ministries. This morning we started with the Ministry of Agriculture and toured the various departments which include the Department of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and again it was a very insightful tour. I have had a chance to meet with the staff and I am quite eager to begin working. We also visited the Department of Cooperatives for a quick tour. This afternoon, we continued by visiting the Ministry of Sports and the Creative Economy which is one Ministry now with the whole idea of placing a special focus on the creative economy including sports,” said Minister Duggins.
Minister Duggins further stated that he aims to transform the Ministries under his portfolio in an effort to improve the capacity of the people living within St. Kitts and Nevis. In relation to the Agriculture Sector, Minister Duggins indicated that at the recently concluded CARICOM Agri-Investment Forum and Expo II held in Trinidad and Tobago, regional leaders set a target to reduce the regional import bill by twenty-five (25) percent by 2025.
“We believe that if we put the right resources in the right places we can see our young people reaching heights never before seen in this country… It is evident that once given the right resources our people can do great things. From my position, I am eager to start working, I am eager to put some of these resources into the right places and I’m looking forward to seeing the results where our people will be able to reach their potential and that is the ultimate goal of myself as a Minister and indeed will be the ultimate goal of my Ministries to really put the mechanisms in place so that each one of our citizens would have what it takes to reach their full potential,” said Minister Duggins.
The Creative Economy has the potential to transform the lives of citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis by harnessing and developing local talent in an effort to make the Federation even more competitive on the international stage while at the same time improving the lives and livelihoods of countless others.
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