by Linda Straker
- First budget of NDC Government, since elected to office on 23 June
- Government has selected 6 areas of focus for next 5 years
- Parliament must approve Appropriation Act for budget to commence 1 January 2023
Grenada’s 2023 annual Estimate of Revenue and Expenditure, otherwise known as the Budget, will be presented on 7 December 2022. This will be the first budget of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government which was elected to office on 23 June and is led by 45-year-old Dickon Mitchell.
“This budget will mark the commencement of a process that will put us on a path of transformation,” Prime Minister Mitchell announced during a town hall meeting on 31 October 2022. His party campaigned on a promise to transform Grenada if it was elected to administrate the country’s affairs.
In the past weeks, the Minister of Finance has been holding a series of parish consultations to educate citizens about the budget process. At the same time, they had opportunity to offer suggestions on areas of priority for the development and transformation of their communities. There was also a budget retreat for Government Ministers.
Prime Minister Mitchell who is also the Minister for Finance, informed the town hall held at the Trade Centre Annex in Grand Anse, that coming out of the consultations and the retreat, his Government has selected 6 areas that will be the focus for the next 5 years or until the year 2027.
Constitutionally, Grenada is mandated to have a general election every 5 years.
According to the Prime Minister, the highest priority will be “Health and Wellness.” The second priority will be “Transforming the education sector with particular emphases on Youth and Sports” and the third will be “Agriculture, Food Security and the Marine Economy.” The fourth priority will be the “Physical and Digital infrastructure” while the fifth area will be “Culture and the Creative Economy.” “Energy Transition and the Environment” will be the sixth selected area of focus.
Following the budget presentation, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell will respond or give a rebuttal. The Members of Parliament in both the Lower and Upper House are then required to debate the Budget and approve the Appropriation Act for the Budget to have a commencement date of 1 January 2023.