UPP’s Progressive Youth excited about Youth Development Fund and identifies areas where $12m a year could be invested
The junior arm of the United Progressive Party (UPP) believes that sports, education and information technology are just some of the areas that should be targeted by the Party’s proposed Youth Development Fund.
Harold Lovell, UPP Political Leader, announced last week, August 11, that 10 percent of revenues earned through the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) will go into this fund for the advancement of the Nation’s young people.
He said, further, that the Antigua & Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) will play a role in implementing the UPP Administration’s plans for the youth.
Jonathan Wehner, Chairman of the Progressive Youth group, is excited about this initiative since revenues for the CIP in 2021 were about $120 million.
If this is a benchmark, he notes, then there should be an injection into the fund of at least $12 million a year, and he identifies a number of areas that these funds can be used to develop.
Entrepreneurship is another avenue about which the Progressive Youth group is excited; and they say the investment will go a long way in supporting the business ventures of young people.
Robert Emanuel, Secretary of the group, says there are many young people with innovative ideas. However, they do not have the financial backing to advance these plans and make their dreams reality.
Wehner says that exposure and promotion of youth-owned businesses are also lacking in the national economy, and he chides the Browne Administration for doing nothing to assist in this regard.
