The consulting firm GHK International has been appointed as the consultants to implement the MDC project. GHK Director, Mr. Jamie Simpson is project director with responsibility from his London Office; Mr. Julian Morris is the CEO; and Mr. John Bowers will have the project manager. Mr. Morris and Mr. Bowers will officially take up their positions on Montserrat in December.

• The team revealed the main functions of the MDC:
• Assist the Government of Montserrat (GoM) to identify, plan and implement Private Sector Development
• (PSD) programmes that will achieve the objectives and targets specified in its PSD Strategy
• Manage and deliver a PSD Project
• Manage and deliver the Little Bay development Project
• Manage and deliver other PSD and infrastructural development activities as may be identified and required by GoM from time to time.

Mr. Simpson told a gathering of MCCI members at their office in the Red Cross Building on Brades, “…the MDC aims to stimulate Montserrat’s economic growth by creating a more supportive environment for private sector investment and infrastructure development, assist businesses with their investment plans and manage the construction of the new capital at Little Bay.”

The team was surprised that the grouping of business people expressed almost ignorance in their knowledge of the overall Little Bay Development affair. The team then explained that they were quite fresh on the job and unable to deal with some questions as they could not address anything from the Montserrat context.

In a handout which captured and explained the briefing, it explains: “…the MDC is to be initially adequately funded and in the long term to become self-sustainable. This will be achieved first, by DFID funding MDC operations during the first three years, and second, by preparing and implementing a Business and Financial Plan for the MDC to achieve self-sustainability”.

The project which will comprise four phases has a 10-year goal, to establish an economic, social, cultural, residential, business and administrative centre for Montserrat. The first phase which is expected to get underway following all the preliminaries in April next year will be the Infrastructure development scheduled for two years.

Financial aid for the first phase will come from DFID and the European Union (EU) to the tune of £7.6 million (EC$37.8M), while DFID is expected to contribute £2.7 million (EC$13.5m) to meet the MDC operating cost and project cost, primarily with respect to the Little Bay Development plan.

Project Director Simpson was emphatic that his team expect to be very transparent in all their operations especially that they will have to relate very closely with the Montserrat people. He explained that MDC will not be a government organisation while they will work very closely with government will work just as closely with the public. On that basis he expects that Board that will govern the MDC will be one of “heavy weights,” people who would be morally and otherwise very “honest.”

The MDC will be governed by a Board of Directors with membership comprising a chairman, a prominent Montserratian; Ministry of Agriculture, Housing, Land and Environment representative; representatives from Tourist Board, MCCI, legal representative (nominated by GOM); CEO - MDC, and DFID (observer status).

Mr. C.T. John has been appointed the Interim Chairman to oversee the establishment of the MDC until a legal entity is formed and a Board of Directors in place.

Source: themontserratreporter.com
Keith Dyett