Prime Minister Keith Mitchell welcomes World Bank Country Director Lilia Burunciuc

Grenada: Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr Keith Mitchell has welcomed Lilia Burunciuc, the new World Bank Country Director for Grenada, who is responsible for maintaining the collaboration with Caribbean countries to address their development issues.

During her first visit to Grenada, Burunciuc spoke with senior government officials, including the Prime Minister. Dr Mitchell welcomed her and said that Grenada and its Caribbean neighbours are facing a particularly difficult era due to the pandemic’s impact, as well as the impacts of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which is already creating price increases in some areas.

Dr Mitchell also mentioned the significance of a recent High Court decision on the pension issue. “It is therefore critical that our overseas friends comprehend the issues we face and collaborate with us,” he stated. “I am pretty certain that we will be able to navigate the choppy waters ahead, but it is vital that we all work together in the best interests of our country and its citizens.”

We’ve faced obstacles previously and overcame them; I believe we’ll be able to do so again this time.” Burunciuc told the Prime Minister that the World Bank would continue to support Grenada and the other countries with whom it collaborates.

Grenada is set to receive a first tranche of $25 million from the World Bank’s Supported Recovery and Resilience Programmatic Development Policy Credit (DPC) Program.

She also mentioned Grenada as one of the most engaged countries on the regional agenda, with funding for two crucial projects – Unleashing the Blue Economy and Data for Decision Making – set to arrive soon.

She went on to say that Grenada would benefit from more funding to help in vital areas like skills development and innovation.

The Prime Minister welcomed the World Bank official’s mention of energy efficiency as another area of possible advantage, stressing that the energy issue is important and has far-reaching consequences for overall development, given its impact on operating costs.