Sustainable Economic Development Plan 2012/13 - St Helena

Sustainable Economic Development Plan P a g e | 16
Section 8: Resources and Rationale
As highlighted in the Sustainable Development Plan, growing the economy is the number one
priority across the island and Saint Helena Government.
Over the next five years it is vital that Saint Helena creates the destination to which future tourists
will want to come.
Clearly the most important element of this is ensuring the airport is constructed on time and to
budget. Attracting large scale investment, particularly in tourism accommodation, is also vital.
The subsequent five year period will be the first in the island’s history to have air access. With the
appropriate tourism infrastructure in place, the focus of this period will be developing and refining
the tourism offering, to ensure world-class services are being provided and as much benefit to the
island is achieved from tourists as possible.
Focus ‘Creating the Destination' ‘Developing the Destination'
Years 0 5 6 10
1. The airport: on time & budget
Key a) Saint built
Developing the tourism
priorities b) Building skills & expertise
offering
Activity
Emphasis
2. Building the Tourism offering
b) A few key developments i.e. SHELCO
c) Developing capability in Saint economy
Construction
Services
Organisations considered key to Growing the Economy
With increased demand and opportunity for economic development on Saint Helena, there is a need
to reorganise the island’s resources to ensure it achieves maximum returns. It is proposed that a
new organisational structure, which includes many existing stakeholders, is implemented, to ensure
a coherent and complementary approach to economic development.
The objective is to combine only those activities that will make a significant contribution to growing
the Saint Helenian economy. Given what has to be done, it is important not to become engaged in
providing services which are not strategically important to developing the economy.
Strategically important activities for growing the economy should be conducted in an entity that will
be free of the constraints of SHG Departments thus able to borrow money, conduct trading
activities, dispose of assets into ventures free of asset disposal rules, free of recruitment rules and in
charge of own procurement.
The departments/areas considered key to making Enterprise Saint Helena a success are:
SHDA
Tourism
Fisheries Corporation
Certain land assets with tourism
potential
Access – Air. Integrating the airport
construction and operation into the
private sector
Access – Sea. Streamlining the
management of the RMS
Overseas Marketing & Promotion
through overseas representation
Seat on Solomon’s board
Saint Helena a tourism driven economy: Small Footprint, Huge Step Forward