PHILIPSBURG:--- VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs Jr. says private developers are financing several public infrastructure projects in full, as government turns to partnerships to address financial shortfalls.
Speaking at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, Gumbs distinguished between projects receiving government money and those fully funded by developers.
He said the government contributed funding to the Billy Folly Road partnership. However, he identified the rehabilitation of the Simpson Bay dock, repairs to the Rolandus Canal and bridge works in the Sucker Garden area as developer-funded projects.
According to Gumbs, the government’s role in those arrangements includes approving designs, providing support and exercising oversight where needed.
The minister acknowledged that some works can directly benefit a developer’s own project. However, he said the partnerships should also deliver improvements beyond the immediate development site.
“These partnerships are a company’s way of contributing to the country they operate in and benefit from,” he said.
Gumbs pointed to the Sucker Garden initiative as an effort to extend benefits to communities outside areas traditionally associated with major private investment, such as Simpson Bay and Cupecoy.
The approach reflects the ministry’s limited financial resources, he said, while efforts continue to improve revenue generation.
The briefing did not include project-by-project costs, completion schedules or the terms of the partnership agreements.
Those details would allow the public to assess the value of the contributions, the standards governing the works and the government’s responsibilities after completion.
