After the Geriatric Hospital is relocated to Waterford, its current home at Beckles Road, also in St Michael, will be transformed into a conference centre.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley spoke of the planned development during the groundbreaking ceremony recently for the Afreximbank African Trade Centre at Jemmott’s Lane, St Michael, as she stressed that the country needed a larger, dedicated facility to host international conferences.
“For a country that has a mature tourism product like Barbados does, for us not to have a dedicated conference and convention centre is a travesty. For us to have used a building outside of the tourism belt for the last 30 years is to undermine our own opportunities for the development of this country,” she said.
“We have agreed that when the Geriatric Hospital moves to its new location in the wonderful National Botanical Gardens and is providing for our citizens in their elderly years . . . we shall use that site to create the opportunity for a convention centre.
“The Government will then be able to deploy its resources to the benefit of the people of this nation where we truly need it while ensuring a public/private partnership to develop a conference centre,” she said.
Mottley added this plan was a part of their ongoing discussions with the bank.
President of the Afreximbank Professor Benedict Oramah pointed out that the groundbreaking was part of a developing relationship with Barbados and the region. He said there was more to come.
“Last year, the bank provided the much-needed funding in the amount of US$25 million which enabled the Government to refurbish a sports complex to successfully host the [T20] Cricket World Cup.
“Deals in the pipeline and at various stages in the bank’s credit value chain amount to about US$300 million,” he said.
Mottley spoke about some of the other tourism developments occurring in The City, including the Hyatt Hotel on Bay Street and the Pierhead project. She also said plans were being put in place for the future usage of other spots on Lower Bay Street.
“A 21st century Barbados, while being true to its history, must build for the future and not for the past. We have a clear indication that the two lots that exist between the Hyatt and the Pierhead are in the process of being developed in terms of planning to bring to use what its future uses will be.”
