(An extract from Foreign Direct Investment 2017)
The progress of any country, nation, society is driven by its human resource and the development of such; its citizenry, its people, its skills and talents. Noting that, growth industries and job creation are as a direct result of investment in ideas, and the only true source of ideas is the human being. A population that is educated, healthy, well adjusted as a society, contributing in the community, supporting culture and the arts, participating in competitive sport and encouraging the youth, will build and maintain a happy, respectful, caring and sharing nation.
The
Human Development category consist of budgetary allocations, 28.90% of the nation's
total annual estimated expenditure down by 0.31% from the previous period revised
estimates, to execute policies, strategies and initiatives of the Ministries of
Health, Education, Social Development and Family Services, Community
Development, Culture and the Arts, and Sport and Youth Affairs.
The
Ministry of Health declared Zika a
national public health emergency and
has
had some success via its insect vector control unit, in collaboration with Local
Government bodies, in cleaning and spraying, to manage the mosquito population,
mosquito
borne disease similar to malaria or yellow fever and other public health
hazards, in communities across the nation. This intervention became more
essential as research linked the Zika
virus to Guilliain-Barré
Syndrome in some adults and the severe birth defect, microcephaly, spread
by mosquitoes invaded and threaten the citizenry. In the previous period, the
Ministry of Health also had to deal with shortages of essential pharmaceuticals,
availability at the nation's hospitals, clinics and dispensaries.
The
Ministry of Education executed its mandate, while having to reassess and adjust
the Government Assistance for
Tuition Expenses (GATE) system, to remain relevant, easily accessible and
available to all citizens who need it. The Ministry had to develop
strategies to deal with cases of students violently disrupting schools'
operations, suspensions, expulsions and youth imprisonment were employed. The
main challenge of this ministry was to get legal and financial control of its
school building, restoration, renovation and repair projects and contractors retained
by its Education Facilities Division.
The Ministry
of Social Development and Family Services has review and tighten all its initiatives
to ensure it reaches the less fortunate member of society. The Social Welfare
Division of the Ministry is responsible for the equitable, transparent and
timely provision of services to meet the social and financial needs of assessed
members of our society. Among the suite of services offered in this
division are senior citizen’s pension, public assistance grant, disability
grant, and other general assistance.
The
Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, extended its annual
events, with the launch of its Peer Mediation which gives students the
knowledge and skills to resolve their own conflicts in a supervised controlled
environment and its Reach
Mentorship Programme which seeks to promote a new generation of women
leaders by cultivating skills that are critical for goal attainment and success.
The
Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, along with its standard support for annual
programmes, was engaged in the promotion of sporting icons locally and
internationally, hosting initiatives to motivate young citizens and reforming
laws to end child marriages.
The
Ministry of Health, with 33.69% of the Human Development funding, must remain vigilant to ensure the safety of the citizenry,
especially pregnant women. Citizens are therefore urged to continue
working with authorities in the eradication of mosquito breeding sites and to
take all necessary precautions to avoid being bitten by the Aedes aegypti
mosquito. The Ministry is upgrading and strengthening its
Chemistry, Food & Drugs Division which is responsible for the administration of the Food and Drugs Act
and Regulations and the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Act and Regulations.
The Ministry also continues its many initiatives
and prevention (wellness & healthy lifestyles) programmes.
The
Ministry of Education, allocated 32.59% of the Human Development estimated
budget, through its Teaching and
Teacher Development Division offers a fundamental chance to orient,
condition and to fundamentally teach young people, preparing them for life and
for citizenship. The Ministry will continue a comprehensive, efficient,
targeted, timely and sustainable school maintenance programme to cope with the
ageing school infrastructure, utilizing Local Government bodies to implement
the works. The Ministry is currently engaged in outfitting all schools
to benefit from technological innovations and all students in all
schools have free and easy access to fast Broadband Internet, while,
incorporating tablet computers and Internet access into the curriculum.
The
Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, 29.09% of the Human Development
funding, continues to place focus on the vulnerable, marginalized and indigent
in our society by ensuring that those targeted persons are able to receive help
- on time and in appropriate measure when they reach out to the Ministry. In
particular, the Ministry has, as one of its priority areas of focus, persons
with disabilities, given the recently ratified UN Convention on Persons with
Disabilities.
The
Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, 2.64% of the Human Development
estimated budget, operates Community Action for Revival and Empowerment (CARE),
Community Centres/Facilities, Community Development Fund (CDF), Export Centres
Company Limited, Community Mediation, National Commission for
Self Help Limited and the Prime Minister's Best Village Trophy Competition.
The
Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, 1.99% of the Human Development funding, is
focused on opening a number of multipurpose facilities and selling or entering
into management contracts with private operators for the benefit of the entire
population.
Rationale
T.A.J & Associates Company Limited uses this occasion to comment on topics that have been covered, both academically and by the mainstream media, to add its opinion and point out investment opportunity, not to invoke any social action.
