By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday 9th October 2025)-Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dr. Terrance Drew has revealed that the government’s ASPIRE Programme, launched in September 2024, has attracted over 5,000 applicants and seen an investment of more than $4 million in what he described as a “revolutionary” youth money education initiative.

Speaking during a special Round Table Interview on Tuesday 7th October 2025, Dr. Drew said “The ASPIRE [programme] has been ongoing. So far, we have over 5,000 applicants…”

He explained that the initiative is designed to promote financial literacy and investment awareness among children and young people between the ages of 5 and 18.

“And we know that the ASPIRE programme, the financial program, where every child in St.Kitts and Nevis between the ages of 5 and 18, would get, I would say, an endowment, grant, seed money whichever term you wish to use…$500 will be in savings and $500 will be to buy shares in local companies.”

Dr. Drew continued: “That’s one component and thus far we are increasing our number significantly with over 5,000 applications and over 4,000 applications approved and over 4,000 accounts already moved.”

He went on to describe the results to date.

“…so I’m very pleased to say that this is really moving along, catching on, and we have spent thus far, on our youth in St. Kitts and Nevis, with this revolutionary programme, over $4 million, and we’ll continue to invest in our youth and our young people. We know, of course, there’s a similar programme in the U.S. that they call the Trump Accounts but of course our program was launched before but nonetheless I think the spirit of that programme and this programme that’s basically the same as to empower all young people. The thought is we should not only give our young people or children toys but we should give them accounts and shares so that they can learn from very tender ages how to manage money.”

PM Drew also highlighted the start of financial literacy training sessions for teachers as part of the programme’s educational component. 

“Today was a big aspect of it. We had the beginning of ASPIRE educator training sessions, and that is the first set of training sessions for financial literacy and the educational component of the Aspire program. This was done at the Central Bank, because the Central bank that has a mandate for financial education is also supporting the ASPIRE program and so they had two schools there where the pilot is being done-that’s the Washington Archibald High School and the Basseterre High School-and then there will be a session in Nevis tomorrow where high schools will be involved then we would also do the primary schools. We are going to train the trainers and allow the teachers to teach the rest of the staff [on] how to deliver the curriculum.”

The Finance Minister highlighted further that: “… the curriculum was developed in close collaboration with the central bank, which, you know, is a premier financial institution, which has financial education as part of its mandate. So this is in keeping with the mandate of the central bank as well. As you know, ASPIRE stands for Achieving Success Through Personal Investment, Resources and Education. This would help to transform a generation of our people to become very educated, to get the necessary tools for them to build the financial future that they wish to build.”

Dr. Drew said the programme’s ripple effect will be far-reaching: “So we expect to see people uplifted, families uplifted, communities uplifted, the country on a whole being uplifted and we’ll continue to advance the ASPIRE programme.

He described the new curriculum as both interactive and effective. 

“… it’s being delivered in a very fun way. It is not the children sitting down and reading. They do it, I think one of the games is how to become a millionaire. They have a programme, well developed, to become a millionaire, and the children will play, and in that you’ll have the concepts, the financial concept. What is debt? What is an asset? And deep concepts. Is it better to buy to invest in land or vehicle?”

Dr. Drew added: “What is depreciation? What is liquidity? I learned all of that this morning, and in a very fun way. And that is why those terms, of course, I would have known many before, but I’m saying the way it is being delivered, it’s really being delivered in a way that is fun. So the children can play among themselves and learn deeply about finances and how to manage them. They will also get a component of investment, a component of how to handle small businesses because they will be also given some education around that, and so this will be a programme that will really help to transform St. Kitts and Nevis and put us in an excellent place.”

PM Drew expressed: “The only country that I know in the Caribbean and the extensiveness of it in the Western Hemisphere that has a program like this is St. Kitts and Nevis. And this, we want to shift, of course, our culture when it comes to handling money and developing a secure financial future.”