NCFC FIRST 100 DAYS: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FINANCIAL PROJECTION

By Staff Writer

The National Coalition for Caymanians (NCFC) administration has presented a report on its first 100 days in office, describing it as a “strong start...highlighting swift and decisive action across multiple sectors on the road to creating a stronger, fairer Cayman Islands.” This extensive report details accomplishments across all portfolios (as reported in our edition of Wednesday August 20th and online).

Leader of government, Hon. Premier André Ebanks MP said, “These initial achievements belong to all of us – the committed members of our coalition Government, dedicated civil servants who serve our country and most importantly our people, who have entrusted us with their future. Together, we have shown that a unified Government can take decisive action and deliver real results for our country.”

DELIVERING ON CAMPAIGN PRIORITY

The five-partner NCFC coalition came into office on a leading mandate of immigration control and prioritising employment for Caymanians. Reviewing its first 100 days, it pointed to the steps taken to address that main plank of its campaign platform and coalition agreement:

“In employment and immigration, the report highlights the Government’s work to implement term limits for non-Caymanian civil servants, with implementation scheduled to start in January 2026. The Government also approved drafting instructions for amendments to the Immigration Act, introducing updates to strengthen immigration rules and promote fairness, accountability and opportunity across all sectors.”

DEFICIT RISK LOOMS

Another key area which surfaced towards the latter part of the 2025 election campaign and which commanded the attention of all candidates and electorate was the official Pre-Election Economic and Financial Update (PREFU). The report prepared by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and published in April had cautioned about the prospect of the government facing a looming deficit - a situation now inherited by the NCFC.

As outlined within the first pages of the comprehensive 36-page NCFC First 100 Days report, “In 2024, the Government recorded an unaudited Operating Surplus of $60.4 million. However, there were several factors that were projected to shift this strong position into an Operating Deficit of $26.2 million in 2025 — a change of $86.6 million.”

It noted that the key drivers of the projected deficit included projected revenues down by approximately $4.0 million compared to 2024, due to slower growth in certain income streams. The PREFU warned that “without corrective measures, projected deficits will persist in 2025 and 2026.”

According to the government: “It became evident that certain expenditure budgets were insufficient to provide funding for a full 12-month period to 31 December 2025.”

In its First 100 Days report, the NCFC administration concluded that “in order to regain full compliance with the Principles (of Responsible Financial Management), deliberate actions were required, which include reviewing revenue enhancement measures and re-examining operating and capital expenditure plans to identify reductions.”

The details of how that will be accomplishedis expected to be outlined in the upcoming Strategic Policy Statement, now due by the end of October, after the government extended the timeframe for its presentation from the end of July.

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS LISTED

In the meantime, reporting on other accomplishments in its first three months at the helm, the NCFC government highlighted several areas across portfolios including:

• Tourism; boosted through additional airlift capacity from Porter and Spirit Airlines, reflecting strong demand from high-value markets and demonstrating successful partnerships with international carriers. On the cruise sector, it said it’s “committed to delivering an interim Cruise Tourism Plan by the end of 2025, ahead of a comprehensive, evidence-based National Cruise Tourism Strategy, which addresses the outlook for cruise sector development over the longer-term.

• On the economic front, the Government has supported local families through stamp-duty waivers totalling CI$1.04 million. Sound financial management also generated CI$5.80 million in revenue from fixed deposit investments, contributing to fiscal stability.

• Regarding the key economic pillar of financial services and commerce, the government reports that it has reviewed, revised and reinvigorated the Ministry’s strategic and operational thrust, on both commercial and regulatory matters.

• Progress in mental health support includes the formation of the Poinciana Mental Health Advisory Council, described as a foundational step in ensuring the mental health system is accountable and responsive to the needs of all. Additionally, standalone legislation has been developed for mental health.

• Notable success in education, including all recent Caymanian graduates who completed education-related degrees successfully placed into roles within the education system. The Government also processed more than 700 student registration applications for the 2025/2026 academic year, with all Caymanian students who applied securing places in Government schools.

• In housing and agriculture, completing the first affordable homes at the Flamingo Point Housing Development in North Side, and launching two key agricultural projects to develop the livestock industry, and the Islands’ first Government-operated egg production facility.

The government also detailed its Parliamentary actions including; confirming the new minimum wage of CI$8.75 per hour, effective 1 January 2026, announcing stable cruise passenger projections for the 2026–2027 period and outlining plans to strengthen the operational capacity of the Community Policing Unit.