Ninth District Representative and Minister for Health and Social Development, Hon Vincent O. Wheatley has called on his government colleagues and the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency to concentrate on developing his district, specifically Anegada and Virgin Gorda. Photo: YouTube/HoA

Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) said it is important that when we talk about development, it’s a whole Virgin Islands approach, not just a Tortola-centric approach. Photo: YouTube/HoA

He made these comments while giving his contribution to the debate on the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency Amendment Bill 2026 during the Fifth Sitting of the Third Session of the Fifth House of Assembly (HoA) on July 28, 2026. 

The minister said that, in 2019, he made a “clarion call” during the Virgin Islands’ (VI) recovery period following the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, when he said then that there would be no true recovery in the VI unless there was recovery in the Ninth District. 

“I’m going to repeat that clarion call today, that there’d be no true development in the British Virgin Islands unless we have true development in the Ninth District.”

Hon Wheatley said development must be specifically focused on Anegada and Virgin Gorda. 

“You can spend all the millions you want in West End and this and that, but if you ever ignore Virgin Gorda and Anegada, the Ninth District, you’re making the biggest mistake this country can make.”

Development should be a whole VI approach 

Meanwhile, Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), in his remarks, called Hon Wheatley’s point important. 

“We hear concerns about our ‘Sister Islands’, and it’s important that when we talk about development, it’s a whole Virgin Islands approach, not just a Tortola-centric approach.”

He added that major infrastructural challenges facing the VI are acknowledged. 

“We can argue about the genesis of those challenges, but what is without a shadow of a doubt is that any sitting government has a responsibility to address those challenges and address them in an expeditious way.”