Premier Joseph E Farrell has asked the many thousand members of the diaspora to buy land and property in Montserrat with a view to retiring on the island.
“Do you want to retire in Germany, in the UK or in the US, or do you want once retire in a country where there is peace and tranquillity and sunshine?” he said.
Speaking on ZJB Radio on 28 March, the premier urged Montserratians living overseas to “buy a piece of the rock”.
He said the government is stepping up the healthcare system with the construction of the New National Hospital and additional equipment.
“That’s one of the areas that people are worried about when they retire, proper healthcare. Once that is done, that’s fine,” Farrell said.
He added that the Montserrat Port Development Project will enable improved import facilities and mean “there’s no longer shortage of anything”.
Human capital
“I’m focused as a government, not just on the infrastructure, but on the human capital. We also need to build up the population,” the premier said.
He explained that growing the island’s population is “critical” and said the population grew to 6,000 in March – a number he wants to maintain.
“If we can maintain 6,000 and then go beyond that, that’s perfect,” he said, adding that a population of 4,000 or so is “not very helpful for businesses to flourish”.
“Choose Montserrat as your place of retirement,” he concluded.
The diaspora is invited to attend the Montserrat diaspora symposium which will be integrated into the week-long Montserrat Calabash Festival this summer.
The gathering is aimed giving the global Montserratian community the opportunity to foster connections, explore prospects, and ignite collaboration.
