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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.