Category: News

Three representatives from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will arrive in St Helena on Saturday 4 January 2025 to participate in the Financial Aid Mission (FAM) discussions for the 2025-26 financial year. Expected on island are Adam Pile, the Deputy Director of FCDO’s Overseas Territories and Polar Directorate; Hugh Thomas, Economic Advisor, and Ben Stern, Head of St Helena and Tristan da Cunha Team. Whilst on-island they will be supported by the Governor’s Office team, Ministers and SHG officials.

The FAM takes place annually and provides an opportunity to discuss in person the delivery and effectiveness of the FCDO’s Financial Aid programme in St Helena, and to continue to develop the partnership approach between SHG and His Majesty’s Government (HMG). Whilst on island the team will meet with a wide range of stakeholders, including Ministers, Elected Members, government officials, members of the private sector and wider stakeholders.

Financial Aid is integrated into SHG’s budget to support essential public services, with up to £34.06 million recurrent support being provided to St Helena in the 2024-25 financial year, in addition to the capital funding for ongoing programmes (including the £30m Economic Development Investment Programme) and funding to Maritime, the Cloud Forest and Blue Belt initiatives.

The delegation has a full schedule of events planned and, alongside the Governor and Ministers, will be hosting a press conference with local media on Friday 10 January between 15:00 and 15:30.

The Trade and Investment team within SHG are responsible for managing the Approved Investor Scheme (AIS). This scheme provides duty relief incentives for businesses investing in St Helena. These incentives are designed to attract investments that are sustainable, create local jobs, reduce import dependence, and add value to local products and services.

So far this financial year the Approved Investor Committee (AIC) approved six new investors with several more expected to go through the process shortly. The financial investment committed to by these investors is approximately £770,000, of which £495,000 will be imported CAPEX with the remainder spent on local Island contractors and service providers.

The investors highlighted below are a mix of both local and international enterprises and the businesses cover a range of targeted sectors which include:

• A ground segment as a service company (GSaaS) Leaf Space, which supports satellites as well as space launch vehicles, enabling radio frequency communication between ground operators and their space assets. Leaf Space does this via a network of gateway antennas strategically distributed around the world. With St Helena’s fibre optic cable being operational, this provides Leaf Space the ability to extend their antenna network to include St Helena.
• A local business Growspace, is about to launch a new venture to produce St Helena’s first indoor organic mushroom farm that will provide the island with a variety of freshly grown mushrooms. It is envisaged that these will be available for sale in the first half of 2025.
• Another venture is Island Packers, an American family run business who has partnered locally to provide adventure sports equipment rentals, online guides, and longer term adventure events on the island. The equipment to be rented will be high end mountain bikes and sea kayaks.
• With last year’s purchase of the Printech business by Moonbeams, the new owners have already commenced importing new printing equipment to replace aging infrastructure and will be purchasing additional printers to extend the range of printing services available to customers. This will provide local customers with the ability to purchase more locally printed material rather than importing.
• With pressure on availability of serviced rooms on island, especially during the summer peak period, the team was pleased to see and approve a ‘duty relief’ for additional tourist accommodation. The owners of Harkate guest house have started the restoration of Perry’s cottage near Gordons Post and this will be available for short term rental during 2025.

Minister Mark Brooks said “It is very encouraging to see the AIS continuing to support both local and international investors and even more pleasing to see so many of the Sustainable Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) targeted sectors receiving backing. Great work by the Economic Development team and we look forward to providing more updates during 2025.”

The SHG Trade and Investment team continues to assist those wishing to start up or extend a business venture and if you would like further information on the AIS scheme, please contact:

Michael Ormrod, Export, Trade & Investment Manager via +290 22470 or

Email: invest@sainthelena.gov.sh

#StHelena #investsthelena #businessventure

SHG

19 December 2024

His Excellency, Governor Nigel Phillips CBE, is due to depart St Helena on Saturday, 21 December 2024. The Governor is taking two weeks leave before returning back to St Helena on Saturday, 4 January 2025

Stephen Thwaites, Development Attaché, will be sworn in as Acting Governor until Governor Phillips’ return.

#StHelena #GovernorDeparts

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SHG
18 December 2024

Minister for Health and Social Care, Martin Henry, will be off island during the recess period from Sunday, 15 December 2024 to Saturday, 4 January 2025.

Minister Christine Scipio will be responsible for the Health and Social Care Portfolio in Minister Henry’s absence and can be contacted by email via christine.scipio@helanta.co.sh, christine.scipio@sainthelena.gov.sh or by telephone on 23545.

#StHelena #ElectedMembers

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The Royal Saint Helena Police Service would like to advise the public that an expedited service will be offered for any Vetting Certificate applications received between Monday, 16 December and Wednesday, 18 December 2024.

Applications for Vetting Certificates will not be processed between Monday, 23 December 2024 and Thursday, 2 January 2025.

Electronic applications for Vetting Certificates can still be sent via email to: vetting@sainthelena.gov.sh. These applications will be prioritised and processed in date order from Friday, 3 January 2025.

The Royal Saint Helena Police would like to thank the public for their understanding and co-operation during this time.

#StHelena #RSHP #VettingCertificate

SHG

Councillor (Cllr) Robert Midwinter departed the island on Saturday 19 October 2024 to attend a Legislative Strengthening Seminar in London. This seminar, organised by the CPA UK, aimed to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Modern-Day Slavery (MDS).

This seminar, a follow-up to the one held in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2023, provided Cllr Midwinter with an opportunity to share his experiences as a panellist. Whilst in London, Councillor Midwinter also engaged in meetings related to other matters of interest to St Helena and engaged with representatives of small islands similar to St Helena.

The seminar brought together parliamentarians from 17 Commonwealth countries, aiming to equip participants with the skills and networks to strengthen policies and legislation against GBV, particularly through connections with experts and Civil Society Organisations (CSO). Councillor Midwinter aimed to share experiences, address legislative gaps in topics such as  Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Forced Marriage (FM), and explore future involvement of Non-governmental or Civil Society Organisation (NGO/CSO) in combating GBV.

The seminar provided valuable insights, networking opportunities with peers from across the Commonwealth, and a deep dive into topics like effective evidence gathering, stakeholder collaboration, and influencing techniques. A highlight included a visit to Newham Council to see how their Domestic Abuse Strategy was being implemented on the ground. To enhance future workshops, Councillor Midwinter suggested a more holistic approach, by also inviting relevant public servants such as domestic violence leads.

Councillor Midwinter’s attendance at the Legislative Strengthening Seminar to Address Gender-Based Violence in London was appropriately timed as the seminar aligned fittingly with the global White Ribbon awareness campaign, and the subsequent 16 Days of Activism, which is aimed at highlighting the urgent need to address these issues.

Cllr Robert Midwinter’s Conference Report on the CPA UK Legislative Strengthening Seminar to Address Gender – Based Violence can be accessed on the SHG website at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Back-to-Office-Report-GBV-and-MDS-Seminar-2024.pdf.

Photos

Cllr Midwinter as a panellist.

Cllr Midwinter at the seminar in London.

Delegates attending the conference visit London Borough of Newham.

#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #GenderBasedViolence

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The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed hospitalisation of two individuals with cases of malaria. They are currently receiving appropriate medical care. This resulted from the individuals recently travelling to a region known for high malaria risk. Public Health officials are monitoring the situation closely for any additional cases.

Important Note: Malaria is not contagious and there is no risk to anyone who has not travelled to a malarious area. It is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito (of a type which is not found on St Helena).

The Health and Social Care Portfolio urges all travellers to consult with healthcare professionals before visiting malaria-endemic areas to receive appropriate preventative courses of action, such as medication and protective measures.

We will continue to provide updates as necessary.

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