Upon arrival, the delegation was met by Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, Deputy Island Secretary Michelle van Duin, Commissioner Bruce Zagers and Commissioner Eviton Heyliger.
The visit began with a tour of the Solar Park facility, led by a representative from Saba Electric, Alvin Marshall, and Policy Advisor, Courtney Hassell. They discussed the park’s design, infrastructure and its ability to supply power to almost 40% of the island. Next, Szabó visited the Hydroponics Farm, Saba Grows, where Project Coordinator, Camilo Usuga, and Lead Farmer, Sam Frederick, shared insights about the high costs of food imports and the island's efforts to grow its own produce. The team also showed a prototype for their vertical tower systems, using repurposed materials.
The delegation also toured the Saba Splash facility with Manager Oscar Vander Kaap, who explained the process of how the water is filtered, the addition of the minerals in accordance with Dutch law and the bottling process. Vander Kaap also highlighted the additional subsidy from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management that was recently instated, which caused costs for RO trucking water and drinking water to be reduced significantly.
Plans for the new Enrichment Center in St. John’s, funded by the Regional Deal, were then presented by Head of Infrastructure and Spatial Planning, Zelda Meeuwsen, and Project Leader, Carine Ghazzi. This multifunctional center will serve as a community hub for arts and culture, and learning and development, while benefiting both students and adults.
Addressing the pressing issue of housing, which is a growing concern for residents, the delegation viewed land plots in The Bottom, earmarked for social housing. This was followed by a visit to Saba Conservation Foundation, represented by Dahlia Hassell, who provided a thorough overview of the island’s geography, its protected marine areas, and challenges faced by local wildlife.
The group also visited the site of the future Black Rocks Harbor, designed to be hurricane-proof while boosting tourism and economic development on Saba. They received insights into the harbor's design and its importance to the island’s growth. On Prinsjesdag last month, it was announced that Saba would be granted $40 million euros to complete the construction of the much-needed harbor.
The following day, Szabó observed operations at Fort Bay Harbor, including the offloading of cargo vessels such as Mutty’s Pride. Feedback was also gathered about overall border control, including immigration and customs capacity and operations.
An informative meeting was then held with Island Council members Vito Charles, Saskia Matthew, Elsa Peterson and Julio Every. This meeting focused on topics such as connectivity issues due to high costs of travel, banking challenges, digital connectivity, and the need for structural funding. Szabó also shared his focus areas: good governance, solid financial management and self-reliance.
The launch of Govroam and Publicroam services followed, announced by State Secretary Szabó, Island Governor Jonathan Johnson and Head of ICT, Lorenzo Caines. These services allow more secure digital connections for government employees and residents who visit government buildings. To read more on this, go to News | Public Entity Saba (sabagov.nl).
In the afternoon, the delegation toured the Saba Cares Foundation with Director Rianne Plaisier, to discuss the ongoing construction of new buildings, health initiatives and hurdles due to limited resources. They also visited Saba Reach Foundation, learning about various organizational updates, including the undertaking of the former Saba Works program and the recent opening of the Reach Fit gym. Lastly, a meeting on Crisis Management led by Island Governor Johnson and Head of Public Order and Safety, Walle Bos was held. The importance of self-reliance and how Saba functions to improve its reliance to crisis and disasters were discussed.
The delegation left on October 3rd, and this visit to Saba marked an end to the State Secretary’s initial journey through the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, having visited the ABC islands in August, and Sint Maarten and Sint Eustatius earlier this week.
