Declaring that investors were once again willing to back Barbados, the Prime Minister has announced infrastructural and private construction projects intended to jumpstart a stalled economy.
Mottley said Sunday on television that Government was committed to its plans to repair the island’s roads.
“We have about $100 million that we plan to invest in road rehabilitation, and that money comes from the Caribbean Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), and we have companies that will be participating in that road building programme over the next three years,” she said in an address from Ilaro Court.
The Beaches hotel project in St Peter at the former Almond Beach Village, when it starts in earnest in January next year, “will contribute $900 million over the next two and a half years while under construction and beach work has already started there”, she announced.
As Minister responsible for Town Planning, the Prime Minister revealed that for-profit social care, health and education construction projects are in the pipeline.
“At Boarded Hall, Sagicor will construct a senior citizens village both for independent and assisted living, and on the other side of the road, an oncology and cardiovascular clinic, and there are at least two other proposals on my desk for other clinics which will help us to become a hub for health tourism in the Caribbean.
“Equally, we have Ross University, which will open its doors in early January, and I also have before me a proposal for a boarding school at the secondary level that will accommodate some 800 children from overseas such that we can have an international boarding school to cater to those in the centre of our island.”
“These educational and medical institutions are the equivalent of having long term tourists,” Mottley surmised.
“ In the case of Ross, the 1500 students and 100 faculty are equivalent to having 60,000 more tourists in Barbados next year on average for seven days each. Similarly, the 800 students we hope can come in for the boarding school once we can settle the regulatory issues, will be the equivalent of 30,000 tourists if we can get that going by September next year. These will allow us to become the educational and medical hub that we need.”