BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 5, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Team Unity Government, led by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, received high praises from visiting high-level International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials on the economic performance of the country.
“Whatever the benchmark we used, St. Kitts and Nevis is doing well and ahead. We are very satisfied with the progress of St. Kitts and Nevis NOT only in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union,” said Dr. Arnold McIntyre, Deputy Division Chief, Caribbean Division, Western Hemisphere Department of the International Monetary Fund, in his first meeting with Prime Minister Harris on Wednesday, April 4.
The International Monetary Fund was led by Ms. Sònia Muñoz, new Division Chief of the Caribbean Division. Ms. Muñoz represents the department after having served in the Bilateral Surveillance and Review Division of the International Monetary Fund’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department, where she worked on mainstreaming macro-financial surveillance across the Fund.
She previously served as Financial Sector Assessment Programme mission chief for Belarus and Bosnia-and-Herzegovina, and also worked on surveillance and programme missions in the International Monetary Fund’s Europe, Asia, Africa, and Fiscal Affairs Departments. She has published on macro-prudential policy spillovers, financial interconnectedness, inflation targeting, portfolio allocation, competitiveness, pro-poor growth, regional integration, and tax reforms among others.
Ms. Muñoz said she felt honoured to work with Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris and assist St Kitts and Nevis achieve the policy objectives set by the government.
The International Monetary Fund team received a warm welcome from Prime Minister Harris, who was accompanied by Permanent Secretary, Mr. Andrew Skerritt; Financial Secretary, Mrs. Hilary Hazel and Advisor in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Howard Richardson.
