Ezekiel Francois, serving as youth prime minister at Tuesday’s Eastern Caribbean Youth Parliament Network Assembly, predicted that every Eastern Caribbean country would be represented in the network by next year, as Montserrat prepared to formalise its membership.

Speaking at the regional sitting in Antigua and Barbuda on October 20, Francois highlighted the network’s expansion and identified Grenada and St. Lucia among the countries he expected to participate.

“Next year, this time, we will not only have Grenada, we will not only have St. Lucia … every single country from the Eastern Caribbean will be represented, Mr. Speaker,” he said.

Francois presented broader participation as an ambition for the network. He did not announce confirmed membership commitments from those countries.

He said the initiative had expanded beyond cooperation between the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association and the National Youth Parliament Association of Antigua and Barbuda to include youth organisations from Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Montserrat and Anguilla.

Francois also credited sponsors, including the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda, the Barbuda Council, the Citizenship by Investment Programme and the Halo Foundation, with supporting the regional gathering.

The Speaker announced that Montserrat would formally sign the agreement to join the network at the conclusion of the sitting.

“This represents another significant milestone in our efforts to strengthen regional integration, expand parliamentary representation, and foster greater cooperation among the young leaders of our Caribbean civilization,” the Speaker said.

Montserrat’s delegation described the development as an important milestone and thanked Francois for his communication and guidance during preparations for its participation.

The Anguilla representative welcomed the speed at which discussions had translated into participation, saying regional integration required action.

The assembly also debated economic diversification and opportunities for young people, approving a resolution calling for investment in industries beyond tourism by 15 votes to one, with one abstention.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Ezekiel Francois predicts full Eastern Caribbean participation in youth parliament network by 2027.