Does G.O.B. Have Sufficient Funds to Cover Industries Amid COVID-19 Crisis?

Dean Barrow

With the recent spike in COVID-19 infections and the economy still stuttering, following the previous three-month state of emergency, is government financially able to sustain various industries, including the agro-productive sector?  According to PM, the risk of his administration running out of finances to support these industries is unlikely as it continues to source funds from regional institutions such as CABEI.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“What I can say is that there is absolutely no risk of this government, your government running out of funds to finance these core essential programs to be in danger of running out of funds to pay public officers, and we‘ll make sure it doesn‘t happen but that is extreme pressure and to pay the continuing operating expenses of government. But to help agriculture, the program is all signed off on now by the World Bank and by next week we should start to see some disbursements to small farmers, in particular, women small farmers, eight million dollars for that.  SIF will help to handle that and so again, there can be no fooling around.  We stick to our commitment that the disbursement of funds, in terms of these core programs, to assist our people, will be done in a completely non-partisan fashion.  That money is coming, the additional money is coming for Mrs. Alpuche‘s ministry‘s food rollout program.  The augmentation of the BOOST, we‘re in conversation with CABEI for a new line of funding, twenty-five million U.S. dollars, part of which would be put into the unemployment relief program.”