November 28th, 2013 -- Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas is urging public sector leaders to form strategic partnerships with their counterparts in the region in response to the rising demands for more effective public services. Speaking at the Opening Ceremony for the Caribbean Leadership Project’s Leadership Development Programme (Cohort 2- Module 2) on Monday, Prime Minister Douglas highlighted that governments all over the world are faced with the rising demands on public services at a time of fickle resources. “If public service excellence is our goal, sharing and collaboration must be the order of the day in Caribbean public sectors,” he stated.
The Prime Minister also opined that if the Caribbean is to proceed on an upward trajectory “we must recognise the far greater power of clear and effective communication in any environment in bringing about the results that we desire and need”. To this end, Prime Minister Douglas gave special praise to the designers of the Caribbean Leadership Project “who so clearly stressed the importance of multi-directional and effective communication”. Through the Caribbean Leadership Project, “we as a Caribbean people are being reminded of the importance of bringing the benefits and insights gleaned from our practical public sector experiences to the table, in order that everyone improves… and the region as a whole benefits, as a result”, he continued.
The Prime Minister also explained that the global crisis demands that nations of the world devise innovative ways of doing things better and with less resources. In the case of St. Kitts and Nevis, he highlighted that the country’s Citizenship-by-Investment Programme demonstrates innovation as it has become a leading global initiative, being the oldest programme of its kind in the world. He pointed out that innovation and strategic partnerships are essential to ensuring that the public services in the region function more efficiently and effectively.
Prime Minister Douglas also thanked CLP’s funding agency – the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) for its leadership and support in bringing into fruition the vision of Sir K. Dwight Venner, Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, who outlined the need to develop the leadership skills of our regional public service.
The overall purpose of the Caribbean Leadership Project and the Leadership Development Programme in particular is to support public service leaders in developing their capacity to contribute more effectively to regional integration, economic growth and gender-sensitive public sector reform. In this regard, this second cohort of the LDP comprises twenty-four Permanent Secretaries/CEOs/Directors and officers of comparable rank from the Region.
As part of each week-long module, the LDP participants go on field trips in order to examine areas of leadership and public sector management that are working extremely well in the Region. In the case of St. Kitts and Nevis, the participants will be examining four initiatives, namely: the Agro-Tourism Demonstration Farm at Sir Gilles, the Brimstone Hill Fortress, the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) and the St Christopher Air, Sea and Ports Authority (SCASPA) Solar Farm.
By participating in this Leadership Development Programme, participants are expected to advance regional integration and economic development by bringing practical learning to the workplace and developing a network of trusted colleagues during and beyond the programme. The third module of the LDP will take place in Belize in January.
There will also be a study tour to Canada in February 2014, before the programme culminates with a leadership symposium to be held in Saint Lucia in April. Subsequent cohorts of the LDP will target the next two levels of public service officers (both technical and administrative) in the chain of command within Central Governments and key regional institutions. The Call for Applications for the next cohort will be issued in February 2014.
For further information about the Caribbean Leadership Project and the Leadership Development Programme, please visit our website www.caribbeanleadership.org or contact Mrs. Alaine Murray, Project Communications Officer at alaine.murray@caribbeanleadership.org or via telephone at (246) 417-3152/ 230-6083.
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