Minister Samuda charged to accelerate delivery of piped water to more homes
Published:Thursday | October 31, 2024 | 5:35 PM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has charged Minister of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda, to accelerate work to get piped, potable water into the homes of more Jamaicans.
“That is what we have to meet for the people of Jamaica – how do we get potable water in their homes. It is a big task because the expectations don't always match the level of resources that are available,” Holness noted.
Samuda, who was recently elected Member of Parliament for St Ann North Eastern, will continue to have responsibility for water and the environment.
The prime minister, in congratulating Samuda at his swearing-in ceremony yesterday, urged him to prioritise the management of the country's water resources.
“We have to be far more efficient in the management of the resources that we have in water, and so that is now a directive to you,” said Prime Minister Holness.
Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, who presided over the swearing-in ceremony, said that Minister Samuda brings “youth, respect and dynamism to this position”.
“His appointment... underscores the importance of skilled, collaborative leadership within the Cabinet,” he noted.
In response, Minister Samuda said he is “very grateful to be sworn into the Cabinet for the third time. It is not lost on me, Prime Minister, that you have expressed your trust and faith in me and my work three times”.
“I commit, today, to redouble efforts to ensure that all Jamaicans are very clear that this Government holds the environment, the micro-climate, sustainable development dear to its heart… . It is why we have had reforms; it is why we have had the greatest efforts at land protection in our history,” he noted.
“I commit, Prime Minister, to ensure that within our framework of governance that we efficiently deploy every dollar of capital in a manner that... delivers water to as many Jamaicans as quickly as possible,” he pledged.
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