“This Law Is Built on Good Governance”: PM Drew explains purpose of Special Sustainability Zones Act

St. Kitts and Nevis: As part of its ongoing commitment to transparency and sustainable development, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew and Attorney General Garth Lucien Wilkin held a town hall meeting on October 16, 2025 to engage citizens on the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act.

Prime Minister Terrance Drew and Attorney General Wilkin, alongside other senior officials, shared the government’s long-term vision for the nation’s growth and recognised that there have been questions, concerns, and a lot of discussions in the public sphere regarding the act.

This townhall meeting comes after some locals asked, “What exactly is a special sustainability zone or why do we need this?” while others have expressed concerns about governance, environmental protection and who truly benefits?

According to the legislation, the core objectives of the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act are to promote sustainable development, create long-term economic opportunities, generate permanent employment, and secure revenue for the benefit of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, while attracting qualified developers to deliver projects that advance the country’s Sustainable Island State Agenda.

The legislation further sets out a strong legal framework governing how development agreements are made, which is far from being a blank check. According to Dr Drew, it requires developers to meet rigorous standards, including thorough economic evaluations, evidence of financial capability, and detailed plans to ensure climate resilience and sustainable growth.

Furthermore, the act is explicit about what remains under the full and exclusive control of the government, such as the nation's sovereignty, citizenship, the country’s court system and its elections.

The government hosted the town hall meeting to address these concerns, recognising that legislation on paper is one thing, but how it is understood and applied in practice for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis is another.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and public engagement by hosting the gathering for a simple yet vital purpose, to listen, to learn, and to have an open conversation about the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act 2025, as it is a new piece of legislation for the Federation.

PM Drew Explains Significance of SSZ Act

Prime Minister Terrance Drew addressed the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis at the town hall meeting and assured them that his purpose was to create genuine dialogue, lay the foundation for understanding, and address all concerns surrounding the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act. He emphasised that this engagement forms part of the government’s broader commitment to strengthening good governance and ensuring transparency in the development process.

He clarified that the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act does not, by itself, create any zone. Instead, it provides the framework and process through which the government may consider, evaluate, and approve development proposals for special sustainability zones that align with the seven pillars of the Federal Government’s Sustainable Island State Agenda.

The seven pillars are: water security, energy transition, food security, sustainable industry, sustainable settlements, circular economy, and social protection. In simple terms, the Act sets out a transparent, step-by-step system for how a special sustainability zone may be proposed, assessed, and approved, said the PM.

It provides that any proposed development or agreement must be publicly disclosed, and which conditions must be met before any agreement is signed.

Every successful country must continually find ways to attract sustainable investment, create high-paying jobs, and grow its economy in line with the needs of its people. Around the world, one proven tool for doing so is the establishment of economic zones defined areas where investment projects are encouraged through clear rules, transparency, and incentives that deliver public benefit.

For many years, the St. Kitts Investment Promotion Agency has advocated for the creation of such zones as a way to diversify the economy, much like what has been successfully implemented in other Caribbean nations and developing states where special economic zones have transformed small island economies into globally competitive hubs for finance, technology, and renewable industries.

“Right here at home, we already have early examples of these principles in action. The Paul Southwell Industrial Site at Pond’s Estate was St. Kitts and Nevis’ first special economic zone, offering leased land to manufacturers at concessionary rates to stimulate investment and create local jobs,” added the PM.

He highlighted that the Frigate Bay development which allowed foreign investment in tourism through the removal of alien landholding license requirements was another early success and these initiatives laid the foundation for the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act, now modernized for the 21st century.

This act, according to him, establishes a transparent and accountable framework for the creation of sustainable investment zones which must operate within the four walls of the constitution. The sovereignty of the Federation can never be violated and the constitution must be respected throughout.

As a matter of fact there is no law that can be passed and be accepted if it violates any pact of the St Kitts and Nevis constitution. Now unless there is constitutional reform and we change the constitution, which has a specific outline on how to change the constitution and so we did this and put it out for two weeks so that the parliament and the whole country and world can see it.

He stressed that when he took office in 2022, he made a commitment to govern under the principles of good governance. This meant that several long-overdue laws which had never been implemented would finally be introduced and put into effect under his administration.

These include the Integrity in Public Life Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and other key legislation which, for the first time, now form part of St. Kitts and Nevis’ legislative framework. The Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act is therefore a continuation of these good governance reforms.

“Never before has this been done like this in our country. One of the reasons why we went and we passed the law for integrity in public life, so every year I have to file my bank accounts, that is good governance. But part of it is the transparency to make sure that nothing is done in the dark,” he started.

PM Drew went on to explain that the government has now instituted a process where any law to be passed must first be tabled in Parliament, allowing both citizens and the opposition time to review it and provide input before debate takes place. “This is the process we have successfully followed over time,” he said.

Therefore, under the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act, any designated area proposed for development that could significantly impact the country or its citizens must first be approved by Parliament. This requirement is precisely why the law was introduced to ensure parliamentary oversight and public accountability before any such development can proceed.

The Prime Minister went on to state that, “Secondly, why any zone to be developed under this law cannot stand on this law alone, which is why it has to come back to Parliament again. So there are multiple steps which we have put in place to ensure this, and I hope this law will last for a very long time.” He assured that this will now be the process for any development to ensure that it passes through Parliament multiple times whether it is an organisational or government project.

“Where we can listen and understand the concerns of our people, and where we can provide responses for them as well.” He went on to say that part of the government’s transparency is ensuring that topics of significant public interest are not ignored. The government is looking to create a forum where citizens can come and discuss such issues.

In his address, the Prime Minister went on to note that the government provided several families in the Upper Monkey Hill with land ownership.

“My philosophy and the party’s philosophy is to protect our land and empower our people. And that is why I say that any type of economic activity that can have a significant impact must come before Parliament.”

He again stressed that his only motive to touch the land ownership topic was to tell everyone that, “This government will not do it in the halls of the Cabinet alone. We will take it to Parliament, allow the people to see it, read it, discuss it and if the people want to discuss it further, I will always be open to hear from them.”

Prime Minister Drew noted that if anyone has a suggestion or an idea that can help to enrich the conversation and the dialogue, he wants to hear it. “Maybe there is clarity to be given back and forth, I want to hear that. That is what democracy is all about.”

He concluded by stating that, at the end of the day, he is there as part of an open and transparent process the government has put in place to engage with the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis. “I look forward to a respectful and open discussion. This is not a war, but an opportunity to reason together on very important topics.”

“The sovereignty of St Kitts and Nevis must never ever be affected.” Prime Minister Drew defended the stance once again and stated that no law, agreement, or development project can lawfully create another state inside the sovereign federation of St. Kitts and Nevis or remove the federation sovereignty, under the constitution.