Community

Persons on Montserrat are encouraged to support local producers in the upcoming Montserrat Market Days. The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Environment, Youth Affairs and Sports, has announced two market days set for May aimed at providing a space for farmers, fishers, and local producers to display their goods. The first will take place on Friday May 1st and the second on Friday May 29th, both at the Little Bay Public Market, starting at 8:00 AM. In an interview Tuesday morning, Acting Chief surveyor within the ministry, Nicole Duberry, called on persons to join the initiative. Ms Duberry also discussed the different items that may be sold at the market days. For more information, persons can call the ministry at 1-664-491-2075.

The Montserrat Business Progressive Fund (MBPF) is being described as an opportunity to ignite the dreams of entrepreneurs across the island. That’s the word from Programme Manager Dr Gary Morton. The fund gives locally-registered businesses access to up to EC$50,000 to invest in capital equipment, machinery, technology and other productive assets to support their growth and development. Dr Morton says the fund is not limited to traditional industries, but instead focuses on elevating the island’s economy through a more sustainable and forward-thinking approach. Dr Morton explains that the initiative goes beyond simply providing financial support. He says it also looks at ways to ensure the long-term success of each business approved under the fund. More information on the Montserrat Business Progressive Fund (MBPF) can be found on the Government of Montserrat’s facebook page or on the Bank of Montserrat’s website.

The Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, (CDEMA), is making an official visit to the island this week. Hosted by the Regional Affairs Division within the Office of the Premier, Elizabeth Riley, will be on island from April 27–29. During her visit, Ms Riley will be engaging in a series of meetings with Government Officials and key stakeholders. Among the key agenda items is the CDEMA Strategic Plan 2022–2027; the Government of Montserrat’s priority areas requiring support from CDEMA; Updates on support provided by the CDEMA Coordinating Unit to Montserrat; and Other matters of mutual interest. These discussions are intended to provide a valuable opportunity to reaffirm CDEMA’s longstanding partnership with Montserrat, while exploring avenues to further strengthen collaboration in advancing the island’s resilience-building agenda. In a statement, the Office of the Premier said they are honoured to host Ms. Riley, and anticipates that this engagement will yield meaningful outcomes for Montserrat, while contributing to broader regional efforts to enhance Disaster preparedness and resilience across the Caribbean.

Advocate Craig Brewin has lauded Montserrat for advancing the rights of persons living with disabilities. The matter came to the fore in Belfast during a recent visit to Ireland by Head of the Montserrat UK Office in London Kei-Retta Farrell, where she met with Steve Aiken, Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Aiken was one of the election observers at Montserrat’s 2024 general election. The observers were impressed by the steps Montserrat had taken to make its electoral system more accessible to people with disabilities with the introduction of mobile voting, which allows officials to travel to voters who cannot travel to polling stations. Brewin stated in his latest blog that this had caught the attention of the election observers, and there was active discussion about promoting similar arrangements elsewhere, including in Northern Ireland itself. Brewin, who was a member of the Montserrat Association for Persons with Disabilities and the Red cross, said he was impressed, though not surprised because while in Montserrat, he was involved in the push for greater electoral accessibility. He said while electoral accessibility is not a revolutionary concept, it illustrates an important point that the British Overseas Territories are not simply recipients of governance models developed elsewhere. They generate innovations of their own, and those innovations can travel. The fact that its approach to disability-inclusive elections is now being cited in conversations at Queen’s University and around the Northern Ireland Assembly suggests that scale is not always the determining factor in influence.