Recently, Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion welcomed a meeting with representatives of the St. Maarten Development Fund. During the meeting, SMDF Managing Director Keith Franca and Program and Development Manager Makhicia Brooks presented the Minister with the Fund’s third quarter financials which provides the Minister with an overview of SMDF’s funding to some 25 different projects and programs throughout the community. Speaking to the Minister about the Fund’s commitment to proper fund management and financial accountability, Mr. Franca explained SMDF’s monthly reporting requirements of NGO clients and its own internal procedures and external audit conducted by Stichting Overheidsaccountantsbureau (SOAB).

Additionally, the meeting also provided an opportunity for SMDF to outline the Fund’s most recent projects in a range of areas such community engagement, emergency preparedness and future partnerships to be developed for the benefit of the community. Before closing the meetings, Minister Irion thanked the Director and SMDF staff for the Fund’s continued commitment to supporting national development initiatives across St. Maarten.

Caption: Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion (r) with SMDF Program and Development Manager Makhicia Brooks (l) and SMDF Managing Director Keith Franca (center).