With five Ministers of Government in Anguilla, for the first time, an explanation of the fifth Ministry has been given by Mr. Kyle Hodge who has responsibility for Economic Development Investment, Commerce, Information Technology and Natural Resources.
Mr. Hodge said in part: “This Ministry was formed after the 2020 general elections. This Ministry comprises four units, and three departments, and oversees the work of three statutory bodies. The first unit, the Economic Planning Unit, coordinates, directs and monitors economic programmes of the Government of Anguilla.
“The second unit, the Projects Unit, coordinates, directs and monitors the public sector investment programme of the Government of Anguilla. This unit focuses on capital projects.
“The third unit, which is the Commerce Unit, promotes facilitates, monitors and regulates commerce and business development to achieve and maintain Government’s economic growth targets. It deals with business licences.
“The fourth unit, the Trade and Investment Unit, facilitates and monitors private sector investment, business development, diversification and expansion of production by domestic and external firms to achieve and maintain Government’s economic growth targets.”
Minister Hodge also listed the three departments under his Ministry which are: the Department of Information Technology and e-Government Services (DITES); the Anguilla Statistics Department; and the Department of Natural Resources – a merger of Fisheries and Marine Resources, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment.
The Minister also mentioned the three statutory bodies under his Ministry. They are the Anguilla National Trust, Select Anguilla Agency and the Special Economic Zone Authority.
He explained that the Ministry’s current work programmes included the development of a strategic plan for 2020-2025. “The vision is a thriving economy for a sustainable future,” he added. “The mission is to enable a resilient and viable economy through prudent resource management, efficient service delivery, and the implementation of data-driven policies that integrate socio-environmental considerations while fostering investment, entrepreneurship, innovation and business development.”
The Minister spoke about several initiatives which his Ministry was working on. These will the subject of a further report in next week’s edition of The Anguillian newspaper.
