Budget 2025 is pro-people and pro-development -says Minister Edghill

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, has stated that this year’s national budget is packed with initiatives and measures that will be of benefit to all citizens, especially the poor.

He said many of the initiatives will see the infrastructural transformation of a number of communities, villages and towns.

During his budget debate contribution, the Minister said the budget will fast track a number of infrastructural projects both in the hinterland and the coastland.

“Mr. Speaker, the monies that are allocated in Budget 2025 for the Ministry of Public Works will see a significant continuation of what was started in 2020. No one single budget can be a silver bullet and an answer for everything, but if you look at the strategic implementation of the PPP/C’s economic policy, you would recognize that we are strategic, we are purposeful and more than anything else we are focused on pro-poor, pro people initiatives,” Bishop Edghill said.

In speaking about some of the achievements of his Ministry, Mr. Edghill noted that from 2020 to 2024 some 4,322 kilometres of roads were constructed, while 150 bridges were rehabilitated and another 66 bridges were maintained.

For the same period, he said 25,783 kilometres of sea and river defence were constructed while another 378,758 kilometres maintained.

“In this history of government, I don’t believe we have ever had a government that has been so active in communities, a President that is so active, Ministers that are so active and we don’t listen, we respond,” Mr Edghill noted.

Mr. Edghill said the budget will provide the platform to link several interior regions with other communities and townships.

“Because of that transportation link that will become more accessible the cost of development in those communities will be significantly reduced, people will have better homes, there will be better infrastructure and the livelihood of people will be improved and the cost of food will also go down,” the Works Minister said.

Further, he noted that infrastructural works are ongoing in almost every region, with small and medium scale contractors undertaking many of those projects.