Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox who visited Grenada from 7-9 April 2005 to review the progress of the Commonwealth's reconstruction package provided to the Government of Grenada following Hurricane Ivan on 7 September 2004. In November 2004, the Commonwealth Secretariat pledged in excess of £1 million in technical cooperation assistance over three years. During his visit to the Spice Island, the Deputy Secretary-General is expected to meet with Prime Minister Keith Mitchell; Minister of Finance Anthony Boatswain; Minister of Communications, Works and Transport Clarice Modeste Curwen; Minister of Agriculture, Public Utilities and Energy Gregory Bowen; and Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Reconstruction and Development (ARD) Richardson Andrews, to review ongoing assistance from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) programme. The Commonwealth Secretariat is providing institutional support to the ARD, through the provision of a town and country planner and a civil and road engineer, and a macro economist who will assist with the economic planning of Grenada in the post Hurricane Ivan era. The Commonwealth Secretariat is helping to resuscitate the nutmeg industry, introducing hardy dwarf varieties of nutmeg trees for early replanting. It is working alongside other donor agencies, including the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the Indian Institute of Spice Research. Grenada is also due to receive CFTC assistance to develop a framework to establish its oil and gas industry. "The impression I get from listening to the Grenadians is that they're satisfied with the progress that has been made," Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox told reporters earlier this week. His comments came after meetings with Prime Minister Keith Mitchell and other top officials to review the $1.9 million recovery program financed by the Commonwealth's fund for technical cooperation. Reprinted from thecommonwealth.or and usatoday.com