BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, June 25, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis living abroad have an important role to play in the promotion of sustainable development in the twin island Federation.
That is one of the key messages that will be echoed throughout this week, as hundreds of Kittitians and Nevisians living abroad return home to participate in the inaugural Diaspora Conference from June 26-28 at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort. The conference will be held under the theme, “Building Partnership Towards Sustainable Development.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Premier of Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley, while addressing the 18th reunion of the Anguilla Nevis and St. Kitts Associations Reunion (ANSAR) over the weekend, stated that there is a wealth of experience and knowledge among our nationals in the Diaspora that can be tapped into for the benefit of the entire Federation.
“We have a tremendous reservoir of capacity, we have a lot of bright people…who have excelled in every field imaginable. One of the things that I have always commented on is that in our country, we are continually inviting people from elsewhere to come in to do studies and give advice when our own people in the Diaspora have the expertise to offer that to us. So my final pitch to you is keep sending the remittances because we like that, keep investing because we like that but more than that please offer us your skills [and] your tremendous abilities,” Premier Brantley said.
Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris shared similar views to those expressed by Premier Brantley, and noted that his Team Unity Government continues to put the necessary infrastructure in place to facilitate growth and development in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Prime Minister Harris added, “The Honourable Premier outlined the fact that our people are thriving in important fields: in education, in business, in sports, the arts and technology; and my government is committed to creating an environment conducive to personal and professional development.”
“As you take note of some of the areas of deficiencies in St. Kitts and Nevis, I hope that you will encourage members of our Diaspora to return home to serve and advance the development of our country,” the prime minister continued.
The Diaspora Conference, which commences with an opening ceremony and cultural extravaganza on Tuesday, June 26, is expected to target priority areas such as agriculture, the development of small and medium enterprises, energy, engineering, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and tourism.
