St Kitts and Nevis: St Kitts and Nevis government recently hosted the third edition of the Annual Gala Dinner and Awards for the people of the nation who have contributed towards the growth and development of the nation selflessly.
During the event, Dr Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of the Federation, addressed all the awardees and praised and thanked them for their continuous and diligent work. The event was hosted at Royal St Kitts Hotel in Constituency 8 on April 22, 2023 (Saturday).
According to the update by the government of St Kitts and Nevis, the theme of the event was “New Beginnings: Connecting Our People”.
The Gala Awards were attended by many prominent leaders of the St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP). The attendees were Former Senior Economist – Willa Franks Liburd, Deputy Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis – Geoffrey Hanley, Minister of Foreign Affairs – Denzil Douglas, Ambassador Cedric Liburd and others.
The keynote address was presented by Willa Franks Liburd; on the contrary, the guests were welcomed and addressed by the Prime Minister. PM Drew also interacted with the attendees and highlighted all the significant matters.
While addressing the audience, Prime Minister Dr Drew greeted all the attendees and thanked them for making the event a huge success. Further, he praised the keynote speaker Liburd and mentioned that the theme of the grand event was excellently summed up by her. He stated that the speaker very efficiently emphasised some critical issues. He was quoted saying, “As I listened to the delivery, she mentioned the history of our people and that the history should start as early as possible and all should have access”.
Further, he highlighted the financial positioning of the country and outlined that the Federation is well-positioned. PM Drew additionally shed some light on the fact that he was carefully listening to the address by the former economist, who mentioned the World Bank and the GDP of St Kitts and Nevis.
Regarding the same, he stated, “Before I came here, I talked with an economic specialist who said he wanted to speak to me because he feels St Kitts is exactly at the point to take off. He wanted to ensure the right things are done to take the country into the stratosphere of Economic Development, sustainability resilience, and prosperity for all.”
In addition to this, PM Terrance Drew took the platform to highlight why the awards must be hosted. He outlined that people who are working for the country must be honoured for their hard work and immense contribution. PM Dr Drew stated, “The people must be honoured for their contributions because several give more than they take to the island nation.”
Furthermore, it was highlighted that the awards are presented to the spectrum of professional endeavours, from environmental workers to those who have achieved very high levels of professional development. Prime Minister Terrance Drew added that these awards also show that the development and growth of the country need everyone’s efforts.
PM further noted, “That all of our people, irrespective of where they are, once they’re contributing, honestly, in a dedicated way for National development, we must recognise them. And so it has been an esteemed pleasure of mine not to be the centre of an activity like this but to honour those who kept giving, and we take this giving for granted many times.”