Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 25, 2016 (SKNIS): One of the major events for this year’s 33rd Independence celebrations, namely the Prime Minister’s Independence Lecture Series, which is slated for September 12, will be held at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre (NEPAC). It is the first time that Nevis will host the Prime Minister’s Independence Lecture Series.
In her address to the National Assembly on Tuesday, August 23, The Honourable Senator Wendy Phipps, Chairperson of the 2016 Independence 33 Committee said the Team Unity Administration adopted a new position since taking office last year in ensuring that at least one major Independence event takes place in Nevis.
The previous practice was that most, if not all of the Independence events, took place in St. Kitts. For the first time, a historic Independent State Service was held in Nevis last year for the 32nd Anniversary of Independence, which underscored the importance of nation building.
The annual lecture series is part of the Independence celebrations and features prominent speakers from various spheres of influence and disciplines from the Caribbean and abroad. The speaker at this year’s lecture series will be announced in due time.
The guest speaker for last year’s Prime Minister’s Lecture Series was Sherry Tross, a daughter of the soil, who hails from Nevis, and who has spent her adult life committed to development and good governance in the Caribbean and Latin America through her work in academia, the private sector and multilateral arena. Ms. Tross has worked for over ten years at the Organization of American States (OAS). Her latest appointment was to lead a new office of Ombudsman which aims to improve relations between management, staff and member states, to contribute management modernization, and strengthen trust.
Last year’s Lecture Series was held at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).