The Dickon Mitchell-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration is set to deliver its first budget on December 7, 2022.
Prime Minister Mitchell, who is also minister of finance, announced the date for his presentation of the 2023 Annual Estimate of Revenue and Expenditure during a town hall meeting on Monday.
“This budget will mark the commencement of a process that will put us on a path of transformation,” said Mitchell whose party had campaigned on a promise to transform Grenada if elected. The party subsequently won the June 2020 general election and Grenadians now expect the fulfillment of those promises.
Following the budget presentation, Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Mitchell will respond. The members of parliament in both the Lower and Upper House are then required to debate the budget and approve the Appropriation Act for it to have a commencement date of January 1, 2023.
Over the past few weeks, Mitchell has been holding a series of parish consultations where citizens are educated about the budget process. At the same time, the public was given an 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.
The prime minister said coming out of the consultations and the retreat, his government has selected six areas that will be the focus for the next five years – health and wellness; transforming the education sector with particular emphasis on youth and sports; agriculture, food security, and the marine economy; physical and digital infrastructure; culture and the creative economy; and energy transition and the environment.
The tourism sector will not be a direct priority for the government for the next five years but the industry should benefit from the six priority areas the administration will be focusing on, Mitchell added.
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