St Kitts and Nevis Minister Konris Maynard details ministry’s progress in year-end press conference

Konris Maynard, St Kitts and Nevis’s minister of public infrastructure, energy and utilities, domestic transport, information, communication and technology and posts, on Thursday, December 12, addressed a year-ending press conference to share with the media and the public various progress his ministry has made in 2024. He also laid down the ministry’s strategic plans for 2025. 

The event, themed '2024 in Review, 2025 in Focus’ was also attended by top officials, including permanent secretaries, directors and other stakeholders from various ministries who provided important updates on projects in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department, renewable energy transition and infrastructural development. 

Discussions were also held on recent innovations undertaken in sectors such as information technology, energy, sustainability, utilities, transport and post.

Public works department

Lauding the public works department (PWD) over its work despite criticism and challenges, Maynard said it has received experts from Cuba which has boosted its capacity. 

He also gave a detailed explanation while addressing the allegation of the slow pace of work by the PWD, saying it takes a minimum amount of time if proper procedures are followed for several projects together. He said he has seen the personnel work hard and would support them to ensure that projects are completed faster. 

St Kitts and Nevis's progress in information technology

In another segment where he appeared alongside Kamille Bruno-Audain, director, ICT, Maynard shared details about the progress that St Kitts and Nevis has made in the field of information technology. They spoke about the Internet Exchange Point whereby local internet providers can exchange data and not route it through international networks. It can also help filter the content for children. 

They also shared information on digital identification cards which can help in businesses and the launch of the Digital Transformation Project, which is led by Nigel Carty, St Kitts and Nevis’s chief digital transformation officer. Maynard, who is also a renowned name in musical entertainment, said experts were roped in to help the island-nation make progress towards digital transformation.

Geothermal Energy

Stressing that the government will pursue geothermal energy over the next few years to get substantial results, Maynard shared loans that the Caribbean Development Bank has agreed to give to St Kitts and Nevis. He said investors were doing feasibility studies on (energy) sector solutions the details of which he did not share since they are still in the preliminary stage. Maynard said St Kitts and Nevis has so much potential in geothermal energy which can power all its nearby neighbors in the Caribbean. He gave the example of the island of Majorca off mainland Spain which is connected by an underground electric cable from Spain and they succeeded in spreading the same electricity to other neighboring islands. 

The minister said they are assessing if something similar can be done for St Kitts and Nevis. He said it would take time, particularly because of the expenses. With Clement Williams, general manager of SKELEC (St Kitts Electricity Company) by his side, Maynard also shared plans about installing solar facilities and coming up with an electric vehicle policy. 

Sustainability of infrastructure

In response to a journalist’s questions on the sustainability of public infrastructure like roads or safety issues like lighting on highways, Maynard spoke about the technicalities in building roads through having the right mixture of ingredients and their resistance to weather challenges. He said while lighting and marking on roads are important factors and are taken care of, he urged people to drive with care, particularly on roads that are under construction. 

St Kitts and Nevis has seen a series of road accidents recently, resulting in several deaths. He said FT Williams-St Peter’s Highway is still under construction and it will take some months to go. Maynard said he inspected some parts of FT Williams with Prime Minister Terrance Drew recently and asked officials to do as much as possible to ensure that the motorists are alerted that road work is underway. 

On the issue of lighting on the streets, Maynard said SKELEC would replace lights over time. He said in some places, solar-powered lights were not working. Maynard said it is always good to ensure everything is done quickly but there are economic realities that need to be taken into account. He said after the discussion, the administration would do its best to address the situation.

Reconstruction of Basseterre high school

When asked about the reconstruction of the Basseterre high school, which has been much delayed and people are worried over it, Maynard said the project is managed by the ministry of education and through the Citizenship by Investment programme. 

He said detailed work is underway for the project, which he called massive and not managed by the public works. Maynard said the ministry of education is also eager to ensure that the project sees the light of the day quickly.