The Tobago House of Assembly will receive over one hundred million in funding from Government. This was announced on Wednesday as Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo spoke during the mid-year budget review in Parliament. More in this Elizabeth Williams report.
00:00I am proud to announce that the THA will receive an additional $134 million under this government, led by this Prime Minister.
00:15$32 million of this will be allocated via the supplementary expenditure.
00:20The Finance Minister, Devindranath Tanku, as he spoke in Parliament on Wednesday, announced further.
00:26In addition, Mr. Speaker, in addition, yesterday I met with representatives of CAF, the Caribbean Bank of Latin America.
00:36And I am proud to announce today, Mr. Speaker, that this government is in finalizing arrangements for the signing of a U.S. $15 million or $102 million loan from CAF
00:53to undertake several coastal protection projects across Tobago.
00:59Minister Tanku called out the previous PNM government and the former Finance Minister Colm Inbert
01:05for what he labelled as the PNM's vindictiveness to Tobagonians.
01:10What is shameful is that this loan was negotiated more than a year ago by those on the opposite side, Mr. Speaker.
01:19The PNM Minister of Finance refused to sign the agreement for more than one year.
01:27That, Mr. Speaker, is nothing less than pure vindictiveness and wickedness towards the people of our sister in Tobago.
01:35Tanku said under the leadership of Prime Minister Kamala Prasad-Bissessa,
01:39every stumbling block would be removed towards Tobago's development.
01:43The Honourable Prime Minister Kamala Prasad-Bissessa has instructed this Minister of Finance to remove every stumbling block
01:52and to work with the CAF and the THA to start this work in the urgent future.
01:58In addition, Mr. Speaker, every ministry and state agency spending money in Tobago on projects and programs
02:11will be required to liaise directly with the Chief Secretary, the two Honourable Tobago members of Parliament,
02:18and the THA Administration to finalise expenditures for fiscal 2025.
02:27That would account for an additional $621 million from October 2024 to September 2025.
02:36Tanku said Budget 2026 and forward, Tobago members of Parliament East and West,
02:42David Thomas and Joel Sampson would be consulted on Tobago's affairs.
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