Antigua: Promises broken over job creation

The government has admitted to breaking its promise on job creation on the Knuckle Block project in Gray’s Farm.

At the start of the project, officials boasted that 40% of young people would be guaranteed jobs at the constriction site.

However, Londel Benjamin, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Social Transformation, confirmed that only 20% of locals have found jobs there.

The remaining 80% of workers are Chinese.

Benjamin said the promised employment did not materialise “because of lack of materials at times.”

“The Chinese are not prepared to wait so they push along and so some of our folks have been left behind.

“I am still thankful for what we are getting because it’s a grant project [and] what we are getting is pretty good,” he said.

The project is expected to be handed over to the government in June.

It will feature an indoor basketball court, community centre and other facilities.