Government

Montserrat’s leader of government business, Premier, the Honourable Reuben T. Meade has reiterated the need for internal investments to drive economic development on island. Premier Meade was at the time discussing the economic state of the island with former Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) president Hygenius “Gene” Leon, another economist, on the “what’s on your mind” radio programme. Mr Meade used the introduction of the government’s micro business finance scheme as an example where a $2-million dollar pot of money allocated to the scheme was fully utilized. He gave the breakdown of the funds assigned as Fisheries – $549,000 Agriculture/farming – $451,000 Hospitality and tourism – $304,000 Consultancy professional services – $186,000 Retail and distribution – $147,000 Other – $120,000 Agri-processing – $120,000 Construction and trade – $50,000 Information technology -$50,000 Health and wellness – 13,000 Printing, media and publishing – $9,500 Premier Meade stated that the Government was able to secure an additional $2,000,000. “Hence my meeting at the ECCB. I was able to convince them that we needed more money. And I was in a position to obtain $2.1 million, of which $2,000,000, approximately 1.9 will go into the micro and small business scheme or the small business loan scheme. Mr. Meade said $100,000 will go to the Ministry of Agriculture for development work there. “The whole idea here is we put money into the economy, we put money into small businesses and farming activities. And through proper monitoring, the collection of data, we would be in a position to look at development in a broader perspective, Premier Meade explains. Meantime, Mr Leon praised the effort of the government as one of the pivotal programmes that one should not only support but expand going forward. He shared that to be able to undertake any meaningful investments and growth, one needs to be able to have not just adequate but affordable finance.

The Office of the Deputy Governor (ODG) is holding a Ministry Video Showcase as part of this year’s Public Service Celebrations. Ministries and Departments are invited to produce a 1–2 minute video showcasing their history, achievements, milestones, services, and the dedicated people behind the work. The theme for submissions is, “Our Story Throughout the Years.” Submissions can be sent to odg@gov.ms. The deadline for submission is Friday 31 July, 2026. The videos will begin airing on Tuesday 4 August 2026. Everyone is encouraged to watch, and take the opportunity to learn more about the history, evolution, and contributions of the Ministries and Departments over the years. This year’s Public Service Celebrations activities are being conducted under the theme: Public Service with Purpose: Serving Today, Shaping Tomorrow. Activities run from June through October and are designed to recognize and celebrate the dedication, professionalism and contributions of public officers across the Government of Montserrat.

The Physical Planning Unit (PPU) is expected to strengthen its governance and improve its service delivery following a new performance audit. The Performance Audit – Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Physical Planning Unit, commissioned by the National Audit in 2025, identified poor record keeping and weaknesses in financial management. According to the report, these shortcomings reduce the reliability of operational data, and limit the department’s ability to assess its own performance. Auditor General Marsha Meade explained that “operational weaknesses included poor data management practices, inconsistent inspection records, and approximately 20% of inspected sites lacked recorded application numbers. There was also “missing application identifiers and the absence of formal service standards or productivity measures.”  Ms Meade noted that “these deficiencies reduce the reliability of operational data and limits the unit’s ability to assess efficiency and performance. “Financial management weaknesses were also identified including fluctuating revenues, limited forecasting, and insufficient analysis linking financial performance to operational outputs.” The audit recommended the introduction of a formal performance-management framework with clear performance targets, defined timelines for processing planning applications, and stronger monitoring of consultant contracts. It also called for improved data collection and record-keeping, including stricter data-entry and verification procedures to ensure accurate and reliable information. The report stated that implementing these measures will enhance transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making while improving services provided by the Physical Planning Unit.

The Government of Montserrat is looking to strengthen confidentiality within the public service. This follows concerns over the unauthorized release of information, including details of recruitment processes. Premier the Honourable Reuben T. Meade, speaking on the “What’s on Your Mind” radio programme stated: “That’s a matter which I have to discuss with the deputy governor in relation to confidentiality.”  The Deputy Governor has delegated responsibility for the public service. Premier Meade acknowledged that confidentiality breaches are not confined to central government, pointing to a recent recruitment at the Montserrat Arts Council (MAC): “And it’s not only in government. The same thing happened in MAC, where due process was followed. He also defended the integrity of the recruitment process within the public services. “I did not even know who the applicants were until I read it on social media. And then all of a sudden, oh, we did not follow due process, etc., etc. They are obliged to follow due process.” “The things which you need to fill out in the application, you did not fill them out, then your application becomes null and void. So let us not believe that because I was this or I was that, that you should just select me based on my name. It has to go through a transparent process, so that when the board comes to me and says, this is the person that was selected, I would know that they went through a transparent process, and I can then take it to cabinet. It’s all about transparency. And when we do all financial risk assessments and other assessments, these are things which those international companies come in and look at. Premier Meade further that the FCDO “does the same thing in relation to monitoring what we do in spending government’s money. “Remembering that 67 cents on every dollar that we spend comes from the FCDO. So we have to follow their rules. We can’t break their rules because that will mean it jeopardizes not only the relationship, but the funding that we have fought so hard to obtain from them.”

Minister for Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Environment, Youth Affairs and Sports, Honourable John P. Osborne, says the Government of Montserrat is continuing efforts to remove barriers that can make long-term residents feel like outsiders, despite their contributions to Montserrat. Speaking during last Wednesday’s Citizenship Ceremony, Minister Osborne highlighted several measures aimed at making Montserrat a more welcoming place for non-nationals and their families. “So, it’s a government’s job not only to say thank you with words but it’s our job to also remove those barriers that make people feel like guests in a place that they have already given their lives to. So we have been waiving alien landholding license requirements for non-nationals. We’ve started with Vincentians and Guyanese so far, and we’re not actually stopping there.” Mr. Osborne the government is looking throughout the OECS and CARICOM “to regularize on a reciprocal basis for our brothers and sisters across the OECS and CARICOM so that when you come here, you can hold land in a place that you already love without having the extra burden of having to pay for landholding license. So spread the word that our government is actually working on that for our OECS and CARICOM nationals.” The Minister says the government plans to go further, having already regularize health fees for children of non-nationals. “One other thing that we have done, and this is on the health care side, is that as a government, we felt that when you bring your children here even though your children aren’t nationalized, we felt that we shouldn’t treat children differently because of where they’re from. So we’ve regularized the fees throughout the hospitals on children. And what that does is just basically saying that a mother in this country should not feel like her child is worth less than any other child. On this island, every child’s future to us matters the same.” Minister Osborne encouraged attendees to continue contributing to the Montserrat’s development by investing their skills, starting businesses, supporting community institutions and helping to build the nation’s future. The minister said citizenship is not simply a status that is granted, but a responsibility that comes with helping to shape Montserrat’s future for generations to come.