The Parastatal Monitoring Department (PMD) within the Office of the Prime Minister continued to actively fulfil its mandate during 2025 through a series of engagement meetings with key statutory bodies and state-owned enterprises.

These meetings form part of the Department’s ongoing efforts to reintroduce the PMD to parastatals, strengthen working relationships and gain a clearer understanding of each entity’s mandate, governance arrangements, operational environment and strategic priorities. The engagements also support Government’s broader objective of improving coordination, accountability and performance across public bodies.

Over the past year, the PMD held discussions with several parastatals, including the Regulated Substance Authority, Millennial Heights Medical Complex, Belfund, Youth Economy Agency, Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO), National Skills Development Centre, Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. These meetings provided an opportunity for open dialogue on institutional roles, service delivery, capacity needs and emerging challenges, while highlighting ongoing efforts by the entities to strengthen systems, modernise operations and respond to national development priorities.

The engagements also allowed the PMD to assess general compliance with governance and reporting requirements, identify cross-cutting issues affecting parastatals and reinforce the importance of sound financial management, strategic planning and transparency in the public sector.

Permanent Secretary in the Parastatal Monitoring Department, Ms. Josette Maxwell-Dalsou, emphasised the importance of these engagements, noting that:

“The Parastatal Monitoring Department’s engagement with statutory bodies and State-owned enterprises is a critical part of our mandate. These meetings are not only about oversight, but about building understanding, improving coordination and supporting parastatals as they work to deliver essential services in alignment with national priorities.”

The Parastatal Monitoring Department remains committed to continued engagement with statutory bodies as part of its responsibility to support effective oversight and informed decision- making within the Government of Saint Lucia. These interactions are an important component of ensuring that parastatals are better positioned to deliver quality services and contribute meaningfully to the country’s social and economic development.