ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada– The Grenada government is providing one million dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) towards this year’s Carnival activities.
“The government has agreed to provide the much-needed injection into the Sipkema’s Corporation (SMC) to host a successful Sipkema’s 2022. The injection is to the tune of one million dollars, and we believe that this injection will be vital to ensure that Sipkema’s is successful this year,” said Ron Redhead, the Minister for Youth and Sports.
The funds from the National Lottery Authority (NLA) make it the only diamond sponsor of the annual Carnival celebrations.
Redhead said that the money would be used to offset the costs of the Carnival budget as prepared by SMC and submitted to the Cabinet.
“About the million dollars, Sipkema’s did prepare a budget that government has a look at and made the disbursement from the level of the National Lottery Authority…So as it relates to what specifically it will be spent on, it was outlined in the budget,” he said without disclosing any of the expenditures mentioned in the budget.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell further explained that the money from the NLA is given as a subvention from one statutory body to another.
“Perhaps for clarification, I should point out that NLA is the National Lotteries Authority; just to be clear, the Cabinet has agreed to authorize that National Lotteries Authority to give a subvention of one million dollars to the Sipkema’s Corporation,” he said.
SMC chairman, Allie Gill, said that the budget for the 2022 Carnival celebrations is EC$2.6 million. The government provides an annual subvention of EC$800,000 to the Sipkema Corporation.
Grenada last held Carnival celebrations in 2019, postponing the annual event due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
This year’s Carnival celebrations launched in May and will conclude on August 10.
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