Alida Francis sworn in as Island Governor of Sint Eustatius
Mrs. Alida Francis was sworn in as Island Governor of Sint Eustatius during a ceremony of the Island Council on April 10. State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen has congratulated Mrs. Francis with her official appointment via a video message. Mrs. Francis took the oath in front of Acting Kingdom Representative Jan Helmond.
State Secretary Van Huffelen:
“I am very proud that the Statia-born Alida Francis is now serving as Island Governor on Sint Eustatius. Alida Francis has shown, first as acting and later as Government Commissioner, to be a very driven person who has worked for the island and the Statia people with great passion. This appointment marks the end of a period in which Sint Eustatius has worked hard on improvements as a result of which the governmental relations between The Hague and Sint Eustatius could be restored.”
Alida Francis (58) was born on Sint Eustatius and was first acting Government Commissioner and since February 2021 Government Commissioner of Sint Eustatius. Before that, she worked as senior communication advisor and spokesperson at the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland (RCN) and was Director of Tourism of the Island Territory Sint Eustatius. Mrs. Francis studied journalism at the School for Journalism in Tilburg, the Netherlands.
With the appointment of the island governor, the third phase of the Restoring Facilities Sint Eustatius Act goes into effect. This ends the administrative intervention on Sint Eustatius since 2018. This means that Sint Eustatius from now on is responsible for carrying out its financial and administrative tasks. The Acting Kingdom Representative has a number of additional powers until the Act expires on September 1, 2024.
