BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – STARRET GREENE, OAS Representative to St. Kitts-Nevis, expressed his satisfaction with the conclusion of the Agro/Eco/Tourism Project (ATEP), which was done in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Tourism.
“I am pleased that this phase of the project has been completed. This project has the potential to revitalise and generate economic activities in rural communities and to further enhance and strengthen community tourism, and thereby bring increased benefits of the industry to the rural populations,” said the diplomat.
Following the abrupt closure of the sugar industry in 2005, ATEP was conceived by the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corporation (SSMC) in 2006 as one of the many initiatives aimed at facilitating employment for displaced sugar workers.
The initial phase of the project was conducted over the past 15 months in eight of the nine parishes in St. Kitts. According to Greene, the venture identified potential areas for investment, job creation and income generation in rural communities with a view towards fostering social, environmental and sustainable development.
The second phase will focus on the implementation of proposals and programmes recommended by the ATEP management team. Their findings will be presented today (Jan. 5) during a consultation at the Ocean Terrace Inn in which officials from the agriculture and tourism ministries will be present.
“Once the second phase begins, it will bring tangible benefits to a number of beneficiaries including the unemployed, businesspersons, entrepreneurs, school-leavers and investors. Now that the tourism industry is beginning to recover, we hope we can use that boost to attract increased funding for some of the proposals directly targeted at the rural areas,” Greene revealed.
“For so long, the rural community has only been eating the crumbs of development. It’s about time they were able to partake more of the benefits and get the opportunity to meaningfully enhance their lives.”
The OAS has so far invested EC$130 000 in funding ATEP and provided experienced research personnel from Michigan State University to assist in the data collection and analysis.
