ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, Nov 2, CMC –Prime Minister Gaston Browne says over the next two years his administration will create 5,000 new jobs in addition to the more than 3,000 ones it has created since coming to office two years ago.
In his Independence address to the nation on Monday, Browne said his government, which came to office in June 2014, had been able to reduce unemployment significantly and the “proof of the number of jobs is measured by the number of additional contributors to the Social Security and Medical Benefits schemes”.
He told the nation celebrating its 35th year of political independence from Britain, that a number of projects will be undertaken over the next two years including the creation of 500 jobs next year at the Expert Global Solutions, a call centre that will also partner with Amazon, a publicly traded conglomerate and the government to construct a new training facility at the Five Islands Campus.
“The US$25 million investment by Call Centre Services, in a new multi-story facility at Woods will create another 800 jobs. Construction of this facility has commenced and it will provide up to 150 construction jobs,” Browne said, adding that within the next few weeks, housing construction at the Paynters and Cooks housing sites will be scaled-up, causing openings for new employment;
“In 2017, my government will spend in excess of EC$100 million (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) in the repair and expansion of our decrepit roads, curbs and drains, including, in the nation’s capital where the infrastructure is dilapidated and unwholesome. “
Browne said that the programme will also generate a few hundred jobs and that “several thousand jobs will be created from new hotel investment projects, including US$100 million Valley Church Resort in which our Government will be investing up to US$30 million”.
Prime Minister Browne told citizens that in building an economic powerhouse there will be a need for educated people as much as physical infrastructure and as a result, his government has expended in excess of EC20 million annually in scholarships to educate our youth.
“We just added a number of new classrooms to the secondary school plant. These classrooms will accommodate an additional 1,000 students at a cost of approximately EC$15 million. A further EC$14 million will be spent to renovate and extend the existing school plant. And, another EC$15 million has been allocated to construct a new secondary school at Tomlinson’s.”
Browne said that significant progress has also been made in the establishment of the University campus at Five Islands. In addition, my government has invested US$30 million to repair and expand the Heritage Quay Pier; and to dredge the area around the Pier to accommodate the larger Quantum Class ships from December 2016. “
Browne said that in order to meet “all these costs, government has to generate new revenues, particularly as we kept our pledge to abolish personal income tax.
“We believe that was – and is – the right thing to do, and we are witnessing its benefits in increased savings in the banks and an increase in spending, that is helping to grow the economy. However, we would like to encourage increased domestic investments and lending, to fuel more robust economic growth and development.”
He said the government would continue to “incentivize investments with very generous concessions including land at a development price of EC$3.00 per square foot” and is urging Antigua and Barbuda citizens to seize these opportunities.
He said in seeking new non-taxable ways of earning additional revenues, the government, as a major shareholder in West Indies Oil Company (WIOC), has joined in the decision to partner with the Shell Oil Company to create a new bunkering industry.
WIOC is expected to net five million EC dollars during the next financial year from this new business unit, he said, adding that this will bring in increased taxes and dividends to the government.
Browne also said that as part of his government’s new strategy the government has incorporated the National Assets Management Company (NAMCO), in which all of its private sector business assets will be held.