Roseau, Dominica – May 23, 2008…….. As the 47th Meeting of the OECS Authority gets underway in St. Lucia today, outgoing Chairman of the Authority, Dominica’s Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit can point to an impressive list of accomplishments during his twelve months at the helm.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2008, Prime Minister Skerrit spearheaded the launching of the public dialogue on the OECS Economic Union at the State House in Roseau. The event was attended by OECS Chairman, Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, other members of Cabinet, Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and Head of the OECS Economic Union Task Force, Sir Dwight Venner, OECS Director General, Dr. Len Ishmael, as well as representatives from a wide cross-section of the Dominican population.
In commenting on the launching of the public dialogue in Dominica, Head of the OECS Economic Union Task Force, Sir Dwight Venner said: “The success of the Dominica experience could be used as a template for application across the region”.
During his tenure as OECS Chairman, Prime Minister Skerrit is widely credited with having played a pivotal role in mobilising grant financing of US$15 million from the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the construction of a new building to house the OECS Secretariat.
In her remarks at the 46th Meeting of the OECS Authority in Dominica in January, 2008, OECS Director General, Dr. Len Ishmael expressed her appreciation to Prime Minister Skerrit for his role in that endeavour.
” In this regard, I must note the deep appreciation with which my colleagues at the OECS Secretariat and I treasure the efforts of our Chairman- Prime Minister Skerrit who personally led the way to ensure that the necessary resources were mobilised to make the construction of a new Headquarters a reality.”
Other initiatives pursued by Prime Minister Skerrit include:
· Convened a retreat of OECS Heads in St. Kitts in October, 2007 to give greater impetus to the process of OECS Economic Union
· Visited the Office of the Secretariat for meetings with the Director General and Staff to discuss issues such as staffing, restructuring and financing
· Coined the term ‘power of the plate’ to encourage the eating of locally grown foods
With the OECS Chairmanship now in the hands of Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. Keith Mitchell, now is the time for reflection on the many achievements and initiatives of Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit during his tenure as Chairman of the highest decision-making body of the OECS- the OECS Authority.
