 The economic conclusion of the year 2022 convincingly signaled St. Lucia's economic turnaround under the meticulous stewardship of Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Hon. Philip J. Pierre. Growth at the close of 2022 projected by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Ministry of Finance stands at 9.5%. The best performing economy compared to Barbados and member states of the Eastern Caribbean currency union. Despite these difficult times and raging challenges, we have kept our mantra of putting people first. And I've delivered on many of our promises to you as aligned in our manifesto and my made-in budget address in April 2022. Most importantly, we have nurtured the economy back from an unsustainable and potentially destructive path and have laid the foundation for renewed growth. We have done so by attracting solid and dependable investments in our tourism sector, stopped the irresponsible and reckless spending primed and stimulated the economy to keep it afloat and stabilize the country's financing. According to the Economic Projections of the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, we are on course to record between 5-7% GDP growth in 2022. In spite of a multitude of economic headwinds, supply chain disruptions, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, record high inflation and instability on the global crude oil market, the Pierre administration successfully introduced fiscal policies to shield St. Lucian consumers and simultaneously create conducive economic conditions to encourage expansion and attract investment. The good news is, we ended 2022 in a much better place than where we started. We have entered 2023 before renewed optimism for the prospects of our economic growth. The performance of the local business sector, as reported by the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, indicated its membership benefited from increased profitability in 2022. And by the end of the third quarter of 2022, the national employment rate stood at 81.8%. Also, the youth unemployment rate dropped to 27% in the third quarter. The lowest rate recorded for the period July to September since 2013. Investors are showing a high level of interest and confidence in St. Lucia's tourism industry and economy. The value of approved tourism investments between January and August 2022 stands at over $320 million and the government will endeavor to create the best environment to convert these approvals into reality. Despite the presumed economic uncertainties forecast by regional and international finance hawks in the coming year, growth prospects for St. Lucia's economy is well within reach. From the office of the Prime Minister, Rihani Isudo.