HURST REPORTS ON CABINET of Wednesday 2 October 2024
The Cabinet sitting began with a prayer, invoking God’s presence and seeking God’s continued guidance.
1. The Cabinet invited the Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to share his findings on an exhaustive study undertaken of the functioning of this government-owned entity.
i. The National Solid Waste Management is managed by a Board, whose members are selected from various entities within the government and from the private sector. The object is to ensure that varying perspectives are brought to bear on the decision-making from the Board.
ii. 400 workers are currently employed by the NSWMA and are called upon to do specialized tasks. A further 80 less fortunate youth from ABICE and other institutions will be employed part-time on weekends to assist in cleaning and beautification countrywide, offering them the opportunity to earn a stipend while studying.
In an effort to increase productivity, the Board has made further recommendations to include employing specialized staff for landfill management, and purchasing further equipment in addition to the new garbage trucks set to arrive shortly.
Nearly 200 work on beautification of the highways, towns and villages and others collect discarded bulk household items, for proper disposal.
iii. Each week the cost of labor is approximately XCD800,000 totaling 3.5 million per month. NSWMA has earned XCD55 million since January 2024 to the present. Nevertheless, the authority operates on a deficit; it owes approximately 36 million dollars to contractors which it intends to liquidate over a period of three years. The Cabinet agreed that no-one who sits on any Board may offer services to the authority or corporation over which the Board exercise authority.
2. The Cabinet invited the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) and the Ministry of Works to address the issue of the ongoing repair of roadways and the planting of new water pipes at the side of those roads. A representative of C.O. Williams Construction was also present. The firm had responsibility to repair Anchorage Road, Fort James Road, and other roads in rural Antigua, following a bidding process which that firm won. The bid came in at XCD63. 49 million which was the lowest bid; however, on an account of COVID, material costs increased and delays, resulting from wet weather, the contractor has increased the amount owed to it by a significant margin. There were significant challenges to the increased amount. The Cabinet heard from the consultant who deemed a proportion of the increase to be unreasonable. Discussion between government and the contractor will continue.
The APUA addressed the issue of water; it noted that the plant at Ffryes will be ready by December 2024. 2 million additional gallons of water are expected when the plant is completed.
The Director of Public Works accepted responsibility for the roads that are in disrepair, noting that only one barber-green machine is operational at this time; however, additional machines are being repaired and readied for construction work. He also indicated that there is need for at least 2 additional engineers who have designing skills. A plan for preventative maintenance was also agreed upon, as well as a plan to fix broken sidewalks along St. Mary’s Street beginning in mid-October.
3. The Cabinet invited a team from the Ministry of Finance, which included the Junior Minister, Financial Secretary, Debt Manager, Deputy Accountant General and the Deputy of the Inland Revenue Department to discuss the health of government-owned agencies. 26 Government agencies were identified; 9 of those with recently audited financial statements were examined for profitability and liquidity. The end result of this exercise led to the conclusion that the sample showed mildly healthy agencies that required reasonably small assistance from the central government.
ii. The 2024 budget calls for XCD1.2 billion in expenditure; the Ministry of Finance team reported that XCD755 million in revenues have been collected for the first nine months of the year. Property taxes fell behind expectation, although other major revenue sources like the Customs and Excise Division are performing well.
4. The Cabinet invited the head of the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority and its chairman to address the operational readiness of the Burton-Nibbs International Airport (Barbuda International Airport). The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) has issued a license for the Airport to open on Thursday 3rd October at sunrise. The necessary tents, chairs, podium and signage have been put in place and ready to receive nearly 400 guest on Thursday morning at 11:00 am, when the opening ceremony will take place. A vessel carrying 100 passengers, 4 airline flights and a helicopter will transport another 113 passengers to attend the opening ceremony.
5. The Cabinet confirmed that an agreement has been entered into with the owners of the Kingdom Hall building in Sea View Farm for USD3 million. The expectation is that it will serves as a refurbished wellness center, that will replace the Clarevue Hospital.
6. 10 miles of guardrail have been purchased for roads and highways that require the protection of assets and pedestrians from speeding, from lack of driver attention, loss of control and other instances when drivers may harm innocent others. The guardrails will be distributed all around Antigua at sites to be determined by the Traffic Police and other stakeholders.
7. The Cabinet has decided to reconstruct missing portions of the fence around the Sir Novelle Richards Academy in order to prevent unauthorized entry by others. Portions of the fence were stolen by persons unknown. A recent incident involving unruly intruders who set upon SNRA students has triggered the Cabinet’s decision.
8. The Cabinet revealed that meetings have been taking place with education officials, police, teachers and parents addressing the uptick in increased youth violence in the schools. The ad hoc committees are planning to announce a variety of policy measures to be implemented to reduce and combat the number of challenges posed by unruly students.
9. The plans for the independence celebrations have been given the approval by the Cabinet, including the Food Fair to be held on the 1st of November at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium beginning at 11:00 am on the perimeter road around the stadium. The ceremonial parade will begin at 5:30 pm on the afternoon of the same day and will last until 7:30pm.
10. The Cabinet applauded the Prime Minister for the delivery of a masterful speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday of last week. The members mentioned his vision for a new world, his proposal to hold a high level meeting on small arms, and his proposal to hold music concerts in venues around the world that are likely to bring peace to warring groups. The Prime Minister thanked his colleagues.
