ASPIRE Programme Expands: Over 5,000 Youth Enrolled as Financial Literacy Training Begins

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 8, 2025 (PMO) –Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew has announced that the pioneering ASPIRE Programme, the Federation’s flagship youth savings and investment initiative, continues to gain remarkable traction, with over 5,000 applicants, more than 4,000 accounts opened, and over EC$4 million already invested in the next generation of Kittitians and Nevisians.

Speaking during his October 7 Roundtable with members of the media, Prime Minister Drew described the programme’s progress as “a revolutionary investment in our young people and in the financial future of our nation.”

The Prime Minister also detailed another significant step for the program, highlighting the launch of the ASPIRE Educator Training Sessions, marking the beginning of the programme’s financial literacy education component. The first sessions were held this week at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Headquarters, with participation from teachers at the Washington Archibald High School and the Basseterre High School. Sessions continue in Nevis, where additional schools will participate in the rollout phase.

The curriculum, developed in close collaboration with the ECCB, introduces students to essential financial concepts such as budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, and entrepreneurship through engaging, interactive lessons and games.

Under the programme, every child between the ages of 5 and 18 receives an endowment of EC$1,000, comprising EC$500 in savings and EC$500 in shares of local companies. The initiative’s dual purpose is to introduce children to the concept of ownership and to encourage long-term financial planning from an early age.

The ASPIRE Programme, short for Achieving Success through Personal Investment, Resources and Education, is a central feature of the government’s Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA). It seeks to create a culture of savings, investment, and wealth creation among youth while aligning education with the country’s broader development goals.

Dr. Drew praised the ECCB’s continued partnership, noting that the institution’s mandate for financial education made it a natural ally in this effort.

The Prime Minister said that the ASPIRE model has already drawn international attention as one of the most comprehensive child financial empowerment programmes in the Caribbean and the wider Western Hemisphere.

Dr. Drew reaffirmed his government’s commitment to expanding the initiative across all schools, with trained educators expected to begin in-class delivery by the end of the first school term.

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