Petite Savanne Constituency Receives CBI Funds Amounting to EC$1,212,441

Our Citizenship by Investment Programme is once again playing a key role in sustaining our people, revitalising our economy, and supporting our country’s journey to prosperity, as over EC$1.2 million of Programme funds were presented to the Petite Savanne Constituency for infrastructure rehabilitation and enhancement projects.

In a special handover ceremony held on 13 April 2017, Petite Savanne MP Dr the Honourable Kenneth Darroux, who is also the Minister for Health and Environment, gave a detailed account of the allocation of funds, stating that the disbursement was the result of “a lot of interaction with the village councils and intercession… on behalf of the council and the communities.”

The Bagatelle Village Council was presented with a cheque totalling EC$365,318, EC$211,008 of which will be used to complete the Stowe community road, and EC$154,310 of which will be used to rehabilitate the Fond St Jean link road. Minister Darroux explained the significance of the Stowe community road funding, adding that “never before in the history [of Stowe] has any government or administration or Member of Parliament paid any attention to the little road network in Stowe, and it’s quite a growing community.”

He also explained that the Fond St Jean area is fast-expanding, and that it is important to make it accessible by “vehicular traffic.”

The Bellevue Chopin Council benefitted from a sum of EC$547,123 for the completion of three main roads. Meanwhile, the Village Council of Pichelin received EC$300,000 towards the construction of a river wall. The Chairman of the Pichelin Village Council, Mr Albert Cuffy, said he was “very happy this morning that the presentation to be made to the community of Pichelin is to put up a retaining wall to mitigate the damage that has already started taking place along this riverside.”

All funds provided were made available by revenue from the Citizenship by Investment Programme, one of the world’s most popular and well-respected citizenship options. Investors under the Programme are encouraged to contribute to the Economic Diversification Fund (EDF), which then redirects moneys towards local development projects. A staunch supporter of the Programme, Minister Darroux remarked that “without Citizenship by Investment funding, none of what we see happening now would be happening.” He also went on to say that citizenship by investment “is a very important source of revenue, because from this revenue we can see now what we are trying to do now to improve the lives of our citizens, especially serving those in the rural areas.”

In 2015, Tropical Storm Erika caused nationwide devastation, and the Citizenship by Investment Programme has been instrumental in hastening recovery and assisting hard-hit communities such as Petite Savanne. It is thanks to the Programme and the leadership of Prime Minister Dr the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, that the Government has been able to remain committed to mobilising recovery efforts, promote resilience, and bring about the country’s socio-economic regeneration.