Audience at the BNTF 7 launch
Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) officials have confirmed reports that the much talked about new abattoir for Montserrat is one step closer to becoming a reality. Other reports said that another BNTF long-awaited project on a St. John’s Community Centre has been approved.
These projects are coming out of the BNTF 6, while in April this year, the Caribbean Development Bank, through the Basic Needs Trust Fund Programme, launched the Seventh BNTF Programme, themed “Adding Value and Strength to our Communities”.
The Programme Launch took place on April 25 followed by a training session for various stake holders, which continued the following day at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.
Mervin M. Browne, the BNTF Project Manager, Montserrat, said that the BNTF 7 was expected to extend support to community development initiated in BNTF 6, and will place particular emphasis on sub-project interventions in three core priority sectors: education and human resource development (including micro-enterprise development and youth and citizen security funded through the Regional Component), water and sanitation, and basic community access and drainage.
Mrs. Belgrave
At the opening, Mrs. Darran Newman Belgrave, CDB portfolio Manager, on hand and representing the CDB, listened to pleasantries, words of appreciation and a forceful message from Premier Meade and local BNTF staff and related government officials about the lengthy processes and a complex approval process, experienced, “not just by Montserrat,” as they acknowledged, “it’s nine other territories that they deal with.”
”…so that is where we are in terms of the BNTF 6,” Browne informed.
Regarding the new abattoir, BNTF said they have contracted local Consultant Kenneth Cassell to design and fine tune the plans for the small abattoir or slaughtering house, a facility expected to be built to World Health Organization (WHO) and other internationally approved standards.
The facility will be built in Brades, and it has been reported that the BNTF has also engaged the services of Barbadian consultant Gerald Proverbs who will provide advice to the BNTF and the Ministry of Agriculture on the procurement of necessary equipment for the facility.
D.N. Belgrave, Premier Meade and Angella Greenaway
Meanwhile as the BNTF says it is hoping to advertise the tender for the construction of the project in the last quarter of this year, as the announcement come also about the approval of the St. John’s Community centre. The hope is the same following the project’s approval that isengaging a consultant to undertake the design works and for the project to subsequently go out to tender.
