Falklands : ST HELENA DEVELOPMENT REP VISITS THE FALKLANDS
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 21.09.2008 (Article Archived on 05.10.2008)
Ms Linda Houston, Managing Director of the St. Helena Development Agency (SHDA), has visited the Falklands with a view to promoting St Helena’s industry prior to the building of the new airport.
Photo (c) J. Brock (FINN) Ms Houston at Government House
Ms Linda Houston of the St Helena Development Agency
ST HELENA DEVELOPMENT REP VISITS THE FALKLANDS
By J. Brock (FINN)
Ms Linda Houston, Managing Director of the St. Helena Development Agency (SHDA), has visited the Falklands with a view to promoting St Helena’s industry prior to the building of the new airport. Her brief is to develop the SHDA sense of purpose and to get involved in strategic projects that would actually help to develop the economy on the back of air access. The basis of why she visited the Islands is to make sure the St Helenian Community in everything SHDA does has the potential to take part in and benefit from the inevitable uplift in the economy as things move forward.
“It means that we not only need to work with people on the Island but people who have left the Island who see the opportunity to set up a business, she told FINN
She went on to say that there is a need to attract investment, we need to attract more labour, we need to bring in a wider range of skills back to the Island as well as knowledge about what we have in the Island at the moment.
Last November SHDA were finalising a five year plan to coincide with the first phase of the completion of the airport and decided to attract investment from St Helenians living and working overseas.
Last November SHDA were finalising a five year plan to coincide with the first phase of the completion of the airport and decided to attract investment from St Helenians living and working overseas.
“I haven’t come here to poach St Helenians back,” said Ms Houston, “but I know your 2006 Census indicates that 394 Saints are resident here and they are a major part of the economy and have clearly integrated well from what I have heard.”
However, Ms Houston acknowledges that some of the Saints living in the Falklands have made plans to return to St Helena to live. She hopes that they will be assimilated into the economy as soon as possible and benefit the Island from their overseas experience as well as investing in St Helena.
“SHDA wants to make clear what the opportunities are and then support those people who are returning, she added.
At a reception in her honour at Government House ms Huston spoke with St Helenians who are self employed as well as those who work for the Falkland Islands Government. St Helena Representative Mr John Clifford was also in attendance.
In his remarks H. E. the Governor Mr Alan Huckle welcomed Ms Houston to the Falklands. In turn Ms Houston said that she was happy to be in the Falklands and to meet with St Helenians who could help invest in St Helena once the new airport helped to improve the economy. She especially challenged young people to take a part in St Helena’s economy. At any rate, she hopes to keep the conversation going once she returns to St Helena as it is the young people that will make it happen. Ms Houston then proposed a toast to the Saint Helenians living in the Falklands and their ability to help make the St Helenian economy thrive.
Ms Houston had been on holiday in Scotland and came to the Falklands prior to returning to St Helena.
Ms Houston’s programme was organised by Jo Ellick, who had returned to St Helena under sad circumstances. As Jo – a former employee of Cable & Wireless South Atlantic Ltd. JoJad a marketing background, Ms Houston asked her to work for SHDA.
Ms Houston flew back to Ascension Island on Tuesday afternoon.
Editor's note: Jo has since decided to stay in the Falklands so her children could settle back into familiar surroundings.
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