NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (July 23, 2025) - Premier of Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley, has expressed appreciation to Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew for his support and cooperation in facilitating the flow of grant funding to the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), particularly for development initiatives.
Speaking at his monthly press conference on July 22, Premier Brantley, who also serves as Minister of Finance in the NIA, acknowledged the Prime Minister’s consistent effort since taking office to ensure that Nevis benefits from grants received by the federal government. He noted that this level of inclusion had not always been extended to the island in the past.
Premier Brantley pointed specifically to assistance from the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), explaining that although the federal government had been receiving Taiwanese funding for years, Nevis was previously unaware and excluded. However, upon assuming office, Prime Minister Drew took the initiative to engage Premier Brantley directly.
“I must say, I always try to give Jack his jacket. Since this Prime Minister has been there, he has really reached out in relation to some of that funding… The new Prime Minister who I'm not in a Cabinet with called me as Premier and extended the courtesy to the people of Nevis.
“So the Prime Minister called me up and he said, “Are you aware of this?” and I said no and he said “Well going forward you’re going to get 25 percent of it”. He didn’t have to do it, because as I said I was sitting in a Cabinet and the leader of that Cabinet [Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris] hid the fact that he was receiving this money from me. I don’t know who else he hid it from, but he hid it from me. The new Prime Minister who I’m not in a Cabinet with called me as Premier and extended the courtesy to the people of Nevis.”
This act of transparency and inclusion has had a tangible impact. The Premier credited the Taiwanese grant funding as the catalyst enabling the NIA to proceed with the long-planned poultry processing facility, a major infrastructure project located in the Prospect area. Work on the facility is expected to commence imminently.
“This is why we could now be here today to talk about the broiler processing facility being built through funding from the Taiwanese. It is through that, that is happening,” he said.
The broiler processing plant forms part of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM)-led NIA’s broader push to improve food security on the island by boosting domestic poultry production. Once operational, the facility will allow Nevis to significantly reduce its dependence on imported chicken while offering fresh, locally produced poultry for both domestic consumption and export to St. Kitts and potentially other neighbouring islands.
Premier Brantley emphasized that such developments are possible only when there is open and honest collaboration at the federal level.
“We can’t underestimate that, and I will never stand up here and not tell the truth in relation to such matters. So we grateful for that as well,” he added.
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