The Grenada government says it is providing one million dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) towards this year’s Carnival activities.
“Government has agreed to provide the much need injection into the Spicemas Corporation (SMC) to host a successful Spicemas 2022. The injection is to the tune of one million dollars, and we believe that this injection will be vital to ensure that in fact, Spicemas is successful this year,” said Ron Redhead, the Minister for Youth and Sports.
The funds from the National Lottery Authority (NLA) make it the only diamond sponsor of the annual Carnival celebrations.
Redhead said the money will be used to offset the costs of the Carnival budget as prepared by SMC and submitted to the Cabinet.
“In relation to the million dollars, Spicemas did prepare a budget that government has looked at and made the disbursement from the level of the National Lottery Authority…So as it relates to what specifically it will be spent on it was outlined in the budget,” he said without disclosing any of the expenditures mentioned in the budget.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell further explained that the money from the NLA is given in the form of a subvention from one statutory body to another.
“Perhaps for clarification, I should point out that NLA is the National Lotteries Authority, just to be clear, what the Cabinet has agreed to do is to authorize that National Lotteries Authority to give a subvention of one million dollars to the Spicemas Corporation,” he said.
SMC chairman, Allie Gill, said the budget for the 2022 Carnival celebrations is EC$2.6 million. The government provides an annual subvention of EC$800,000 to the Spicemas Corporation.
Grenada last held Carnival celebrations in 2019, postponing the annual event as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
This year’s Carnival celebrations launched in May and will conclude on August 10.
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