Above: Grenada PM Tillman Thomas (left) and UWI Vice Chancellor Professor Nigel Harris (OPM Grenada)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada has formally transferred 85 acres of land to the University of the West Indies for a campus on the island, following a ceremony on Friday.

The transfer of the land at Hope in St Andrew makes Grenada the contributor of the third-largest parcel of land to the university.

Grenada Prime Minister Tillman Thomas called the move for a UWI campus in Grenada a “significant investment in the future of the people of Grenada,” particularly the island’s northeastern section.

“This project will afford both a short-term and long-term progress to Hope and surrounding areas, similar to the changes and enhancements that came with campus locations in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica,” said Thomas, who himself has studied at both campuses.

Work on the clearing of the land will begin soon, with construction to be done on a phased basis, according to UWI Vice Chancellor Nigel Harris.

Construction is expected to begin in a few months, Harris said.