Today’s opening of a World Bank office in Philipsburg is significant. It also strengthens the island’s hub-function, considering that the only other Caribbean countries where such a facility can currently be found are Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana. St. Maarten also has the second largest portfolio after Haiti
Let’s face it, not everyone agreed with the decision taken by the Netherlands and primarily former former Dutch Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK State Secretary Raymond Knops to have the World Bank administer a Trust Fund for the recovery and reconstruction of St. Maarten following the devastating hurricanes of September 2017. Many felt this made accessing the more than half-a-billion US dollars earmarked a too difficult and lengthy process.
The World Bank’s strict procurement rules and other requirements were blamed. One running joke at the time was that one needed a bidding procedure to dig a trench.
The Trust Fund’s 2022 report said there were 10 projects in execution totalling US $100.2 million. Another $38 million worth of projects were still in preparation, while half of the $35 million available for the Enterprise Support Project (EPS) was yet to be spent.
Earlier this week came news that for the second time additional means of $19.5 million had been approved for the Emergency Recovery Project (ERP) 1, specifically to finance critical repair and rebuilding activities at – among other things – school gyms, sports facilities and community centres.
Suffice to say that the World Bank and execution agency the National Recovery Programme Bureau (NRPB) will have their hands full for some time to come. A local presence can hopefully help speed up related matters as well.
It is thus a welcome development in more ways than one.
