Grenada PM outlines progress

Monday, February 2, 2004

LONDON, England: Prime Minister of Grenada, Keith Mitchell, in addressing the Pearls Awards Ceremony in London on Saturday, outlined several areas of progress Grenada has achieved in recent years.

The Prime Ministers referred to:

Massive infrastructural developments, including the road network, the distribution of water and the provision of telecommunications and electricity services throughout Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique, 

1. The general modernisation of society, 

2. The provision of educational and skills training opportunities, 

3. The facilitation of investments in the agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and services sectors, 

4. The application of sound fiscal policies and informed economic strategies, and most importantly, 

5. The empowerment of our people to realise their potential as productive, patriotic, independent citizens.

"These, among other initiatives, have placed our Nation on a strong footing to, in the words of our theme, "explore new frontiers." One of those frontiers is that of Knowledge Enhancement.

"On December 31, 1999, I declared the first decade of the new millennium the Knowledge Enhancement Decade for Grenada. Since then, we have made significant progress in this regard, with many of our young people fully aware and prepared for the challenges of the ever-advancing Information Communication Technology era," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also referred to the ongoing liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, which has been achieved in collaboration with Grenada's Eastern Caribbean neighbours "Indeed, the Government of Grenada is fully cognisant of the fact that the ability to access, distribute and create knowledge has become a major source of competitive advantage and a viable means of reducing poverty," he said.

Prime Minister Mitchell told the London audience that: "the journey to nationhood has no end. The Government of Grenada is very mindful of the fact that this journey, in today's global village, has a relatively different set of circumstances than those faced by our forefathers three decades ago."

"Substantial reductions in international aid and increased expectations by our citizens with respect to health care, education, public assistance and other social services from Government are the order of the day. At the same time, we must contend with trade liberalisation and a fiercely competitive international market place. While Government invests more heavily in the provision of social services, we cannot ignore the advent of global terrorism, cross border crimes and the enormous costs of security," he said. 

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