Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris and his Cabinet colleagues will make site visits to some of the nation’s leading manufacturers, spanning diverse industries such as textiles, electronics, cement, and brewing and distilling as they celebrate five years of leadership this month in St. Kitts and Nevis.
As they could last year, workers will have the opportunity to engage in discussions with the Prime Minister and members of his delegation.
“We could not help but be impressed by the quality of work of international standard done by our employees,” Prime Minister Harris told the public after site visits last year when he addressed the National Assembly, describing the nation’s manufacturing employees as “ordinary sons and daughters who sometimes are not given the kind of appreciation they deserve.”
“We are exporting, thanks to the quality of workers here, products that are important to the United States Aerospace Industry.” He added. “We are exporting products to Europe and elsewhere – many of them unknown to too many of our people here.”
During his first press conference for the year on Jan. 15, the Prime Minister reported strong manufacturing growth numbers, noting information coming from the St. Christopher Air & Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) showed 69,695 tons of merchandise, an increase of 43,786 tons over the 25,909 tons realized in 2018 — a 169 percent growth in manufacturing exports year on year, a trend which is expected to continue in 2020.
“The manufacturing enclave sector realized increases in job creation in 2019, led largely by expansion of production lines at Kajola Kristada,” he added.
Visits by the Cabinet to construction sites are on the agenda for Tuesday, where the Prime Minister and his delegation will engage with construction workers who are making progress on projects such as the National Housing Corporation’s Housing Solutions.
