Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew turned host for the third annual Gala Dinner and awards, which was held at Royal St Kitts Hotel on Saturday, April 22, 2023. The event revolved around the theme “New Beginnings: Connecting Our People”, during which people of Constituency 8 were honoured for their contributions towards the development of the country.
The Gala event was attended by various prominent personalities and leaders of St Kitts Nevis Labor Party, including Mrs Willa Franks Liburd, Deputy Prime Minister Geoffrey Hanley, Minister of Foreign Affairs Denzil Douglas, Ambassador Cedric Liburd and others.
During the event, former senior economist Mrs Willa Franks Liburd delivered a keynote address at the event, in which she highlighted various aspects, including the history of St Kitts and Nevis and the theme of the event. Additionally, she stressed the inclusion of financial literacy in the curriculum, which was also hailed by PM Terrance Drew, who marked her words to be ‘Pearls of Wisdom’.
At the same time, Prime Minister Terrance Drew also addressed the guests at the Third Annual Gala Dinner and Awards and thanked them for being a part of the event and making it a successful one. He also thanked Mrs Liburd for her keynote address.
PM Terrance Drew picked up from where Mrs Liburd left off, asserting the significance of including the history of the country and financial literacy as they look to revamp the modern education curriculum to meet the specifications of the 21st century. PM Drew reiterated the Government’s willingness to certainly look over its quickest fulfilment with the support of Minister of Education Geoffrey Hanley.
He also mentioned Mrs Liburd in his address, assuring her words to be enacted upon by the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, stating, “We will see some action on those coming September.”
Further, PM Terrance Drew indulged in interactions with the guests at the event, highlighting the opportunity for the country to embark o the path of sustainable development.
In his address, he particularly mentioned the Government’s vision to adopt renewable sources of energy in such a manner that the citizens have access to good, eco-friendly and cheap energy, thereby making the country resilient to the ill effects of the climate crisis.
Additionally, he stressed the need to follow this approach of development on a scale that goes beyond a constituency, thus exemplifying a course of action that the world should follow in the future.
PM Drew also mentioned that from the economic upfront, St Kitts and Nevis stands at a point where it is about to take off. All it needs is the right action plan, which the Government Of St Kitts and Nevis is looking after to ensure prosperity for all citizens.
It is noteworthy that PM Terrance Drew recently attended IMF meetings in Washington, DC. About the same, PM Drew added that IMF hailed the country’s resources and the efficiency of the Government in managing them; however, the disparity between those who have a lot and those who don’t have a lot needs to be narrowed down, which is prerequisite for the economic take-off.
Therefore, to address this issue, PM Drew highlighted the plans for the implementation of minimum wage in St Kitts and Nevis so that the inclusion of all citizens is ensured in the economic development of the nation.
Furthermore, PM Drew commended the Gala Dinner and Awards as, according to him; these play a significant role in recognizing the efforts of the people who selflessly contribute towards the development of the nation. Moreover, the recipients of the awards belong to diverse professional backgrounds, including environmental workers to those who have achieved very high levels of professional development.
This is actually indicative of the collective efforts of the citizens to develop the nation’s community, constituency and parish.
Honouring the awardees, PM Drew stated, That all of our people, irrespective of where they are, once they’re contributing, honestly, in a dedicated way for National development, we must recognize them.
