Government formulates poverty reduction plan

from The Antigua Sun

by Afeefah Beharry

Government is now in the process of preparing and compiling a National Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan which will provide a systematic response to the issues highlighted in the Country’s Poverty Assessment (CPA) report.

The CPA report was handed over to the government by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in December. The assessment was conducted between late 2005 and early 2007.

Acting Director of the Social Policy Unit and co-ordinator of the National Assessment Team (NAT) Almira Henry said the CDB may be providing government with some assistance in preparing the document.

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The initiative will be spearheaded by the Social Policy Unit within the Ministry of Housing and Social Transformation.

“This document will provide a response to the issues highlighted in the Country’s Poverty Assessment report,” Henry said.

Once the plan is completed, it will be integrated into the country’s overall national development policies and strategies.

“This is going to be critical.

"It will give regional and international donor agencies information about us when it comes to determining the level of contribution they make to our country for long-term social and human development initiatives,” Henry said.

Henry told the Antigua Sun the CDB will be providing additional financial support through a grant to the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

The CPA presented information about the poverty situation in Antigua and Barbuda. Not only did it calculate the percentage of the population living below the poverty line to be 18.4 per cent but a vulnerability line was also established.

In the report, there was an account of the needs which were expressed by communities considered poor according to the census conducted in 2001. The needs which were most frequent were job and education opportunities.

Twelve hundred households from 17 districts, in the upper middle and lower income brackets were targeted.

KAIRI consultancy Ltd of Trinidad and Tobago was contracted by CDB to work on the projects.