Last Updated on November 30, 2024, 3:31 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Basseterre, St Kitts: The Government of St Kitts and Nevis assisted by The Cable hosted the successful ASPIRE Day at the Independence Square on Friday, November 29th, 2024 to register the youth in large numbers with the ASPIRE Programme.
The ASPIRE Day commenced at about 2:00 PM and lasted till 5:00 PM and hundreds of parents and guardians from across the Federation visited the Independence Square dubbed as the “ASPIRE Day.”
The visitors took advantage of the information and on-site assistance which was made available to them to help with the registration process of their child for the government’s groundbreaking ASPIRE Programme.
Significantly, Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew, also the Minister of Finance made a visit to the registration site to personally commend the parents and guardians for taking benefit of the ASPIRE Programme that aims to empower the next generation to generate wealth and become financially literate.
Additionally, the youth ambassadors of the ASPIRE Programme were invited to the Prime Minister’s Office where PM Drew extended gratitude to them for supporting the pioneering programme. The ASPIRE Ambassadors played a vital role in the successful hosting of the event.
Notably, ASPIRE is an innovative initiative launched by government for all the children aged 5 to 18, including nationals and citizens by decent, who will receive a EC$1000 contribution form the administration.
This contribution will be divided into two parts: EC$500 to be held in a savings account at the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank and EC$500 to be invested in shares of local, government-owned entities.
It is also to be noted that the ASPIRE Bill, 2024, was successfully passed in the National Assembly during the sitting on November 28, 2024 which was moved by Prime Minister Drew.
The Bill provides for the establishment of the ASPIRE Fund and for the creation of the ASPIRE Council that will manage the programme for the benefit of youth within the Federation.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
