Premier Brantley and NIA Minister of Health hold talks with USAID representatives – NevisPages.com

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS – Premier of Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley, and Minister of Health and Social Development in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), the Honourable Jahnel Nisbett, held an important meeting with representatives of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during their visit to Nevis on Thursday, September 12.

The two-member delegation consisted of Mr. Mervyn Farroe, USAID Regional Representative for the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, and Mr. Tevin Sheperd, USAID Youth Specialist.

The USAID delegation attended the founding meeting of the Joint Council of Ministers: Health, Human and Social Development and Education in the Federation in St. Kitts.

“I am very pleased to be here on the island of Nevis. During my time in St. Kitts I had the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister (Dr. Terrance) Drew to discuss some of our activities in supporting youth on the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as economic development opportunities that we could potentially work together on, so it gives me great pleasure to have my first meeting with Prime Minister Brantley here on Nevis to discuss some of those potential areas for collaboration,” said Mr. Farroe.

Prime Minister Brantley said his government looks forward to being briefed on some of USAID’s current projects in the Federation.

“We are pleased to welcome you to St. Kitts and Nevis, and especially pleased that you have come to the island of Nevis. We are certainly pleased with the initiatives we have seen and the cooperation we have enjoyed so far.

“We look forward to these updates and getting a sense of what programs and programming are out there and how we can work together in a more meaningful way to achieve some of the goals that we share.”

The Prime Minister was particularly keen to discuss youth development programmes in light of the Federation’s violent crime problems involving youth. He requested USAID to assist and collaborate with the NIA in its efforts to reorient the youth and strengthen the island’s education system.

USAID’s goal is to help partners become self-reliant and lead their own development journey by reducing the scope of conflict, preventing the spread of pandemic diseases, and countering the root causes of violence, instability, transnational crime, and other security threats.