- Please can you tell us about yourself?
A1: My name is Donna Walwyn and I’m the CEO of The Fairway Group. I am a lawyer by training, and spent 20 years practicing law in the Toronto Canada office of one of the world’s largest global law firms.
Now, I’m a multidisciplinary professional who brings a focus on governance, regulatory compliance and risk assessment to every project I work on.
I was born on the island of St. Kitts, which is located in the West Indies, and I am very excited that, as a Founder of Fairway Group, I can bring together my heritage, my professional legal training and my long history of bring projects to successful completion to curate investment opportunities for persons who wish to obtain a second passport or who are looking for a exciting new investment opportunity.
A2: My name is Carl Walwyn and I too, was born on the island of St. Kitts. I have been marketing investment real estate since 1988. I was previously with ReMax – the largest Real Estate company in the world. Repeated enquiries by high net worth clients prompted me to take a close look at investment opportunities that also had an accompanying additional passport. It soon became clear that there was a shortage of reliable, financially secure vehicles on the market. As a founder of The Fairway group, I was challenged by the prospect of helping to change that.
Ease of travel that comes with a second passport is already a compelling reason for this kind of investment but to be able to combine that with a robust, underlying Real Estate component makes this a dream opportunity to introduce to the market. The ability to introduce it to investors with whom I resonate culturally makes this an exciting and welcomed venture.
2. What is Fairway Condominium Development Ltd into and why is it coming to Nigeria?
A: Fairway Condominium Development Ltd. is one of The Fairway Group family of companies.
It is a real estate development company that will completely renovate and revitalize 20 existing condominium townhomes that are located on the main tourist strip on the island of St. Kitts.
Once these townhomes are renovated to our exacting luxury standards, they will be rented out to tourists from all over the world, who choose St. Kitts and Nevis as their sunny island vacation destination.
Why are we coming to Nigeria? Well, because Nigeria is the center of incredible vibrancy and growth and we see it as an opportunity to offer a citizenship by investment opportunity to persons who share a common culture with the local population of St. Kitts and Nevis.
3. A lot of Nigerians may not know much about St Kitts and Nevis. What can you tell us about the country?
A: St. Kitts and Nevis is a twin-island federation located in the Eastern Caribbean Sea.
We are known the world over for our majestic mountains, brilliant blue sea, endless clear skies and quiet beaches. The climate is tropical.
We have a local population of approximately 55,000 persons.
St. Kitts and Nevis was under British colonial rule until 1983, when the Federation was established as an independent nation within the British Commonwealth.
Not long after colonization in 1964, the islands were used to grow and produce sugar.
Today, the overwhelming majority of Kittitians and Nevisians are descendants of Africa.
St. Kitts and Nevis is a Christian nation, an the official language is English.
Our economy is built around tourism, agriculture and light manufacturing.
4. This investment opportunity sounds quite interesting, can you tell us why Nigerians should consider investing in St. Kitts and Nevis?
A: St. Kitts and Nevis has a single National Assembly responsible for making laws. The Federation is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the judicial system is modelled on British procedure and its jurisprudence on English common law.
Every single citizen of the Federation enjoys the benefits of freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association and freedom of movement.
The country is politically very stable, with orderly democratic elections being held every five years.
As the current Prime Minister, Dr. the Honorable Timothy Harris declared in his inauguration speech:
“We will move forward a legislative framework that addresses our agenda of good governance, accountability and transparency. We will advance work on our electoral reform, justice for workers, and reform of our education and health systems. We have provided honest information about our fiscal and economic performance, our Citizenship by Investment programme, and immigration data.”
The government is dedicated to the consistent institutionalization of good governance practices, removing any space for inefficiencies and corruption.
There has been no threat of war in the history of the Federation.
St. Kitts and Nevis has been named by the International Monetary Fund as the fastest-growing and fiscally-sound country in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.
It’s growing real estate and tourism sectors are built on a foundation of a supportive business and tax environment. There is a no personal income tax and there are tax incentives available for investors.
In short, the Federation provides a safe, predictable and secure place in which to invest, to visit, to work and live.
5. Can you provide further detail on the Citizenship By Investment (CBI) Programme by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis?
A: It is my pleasure to do so!
The CBI Programme has been in existence for over 30 years and provides Platinum Standard access to one of the world’s most versatile Passports.
The programme consistently ranks in the world’s top five in terms of benefits and safety. In 2017, the IMF note that “They [St. Kitts and Nevis] have strengthened the due diligence process with dedicated resources and global collaboration, as this is essential to reduce integrity and security risks [and] preserve the program’s credibility”.
There are two routes to Citizenship by Investment: (1) make an non-refundable US$150,000 contribution to one of the development funds established by the government of St. Kitts and Nevis or (2) make a minimum US$200,000 investment in an officially approved real estate project.
Regardless of the route chosen, there are due diligence and other fees that must be paid to the government, as well as processing and legal fees (“Additional Fees”).
6. So how can Nigerians take part in this CBI Programme?
A: The Fairway Group is hosting seminars in Lagos and Abuja to provide Nigerians with all the information they need to participate in the CBI Programme.
At these seminars Nigerians will hear directly from the Permanent Secretary and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of St. Kitts as well as the CEO of the Citizenship by Investment Unit, which is the government office responsible for operating all aspects of the CBI Programme. Both individuals will be speaking at the seminars in Lagos and Abuja.
7. How can you assure Nigerians that this program and/or your company is not a bubble or a scam? Can you share with us your experience and precedents of the CBI programme?
A: While Fairway Condominium Development Ltd. is only a year old, the Founders and Management Team members have deeply entrenched track records for accountability, transparency and above board professional dealings over four continents.
I invite you and your readers/listeners to visit our website and review the bios of all those involved with Fairway. Our Founders are readily accessible and their uninterrupted track records for integrity and excellence in professional duties is easily verified.
On this trip, we will be accompanied by the Permanent Secretary and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of St. Kitts as well as the CEO of the Citizenship by Investment Unit. We are honoured to have them travel with us and present at our seminar.
They are comfortable accompanying us because of our proven integrity.
8. Generally, what’s your take about Nigeria?
A: I have visited Nigeria only once before, but I feel at home here! Nigerians are friendly, hard-working, innovative and resilient! Just like Kittitians and Nevisians. We have very similar food and musical traditions!
I know that the Nigerian passport doesn’t offer the travel flexibility that a St. Kitts and Nevis passport does. As of today, the Nigerian passport is ranked 98th in the world and offers visa-free or visa on arrival access to only 45 countries and territories.
The St. Kitts and Nevis passport, on the other hand, offers visa-free or visa on arrival access to 152 countries and territories including the United Kingdom (including Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man), Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, German, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and Vatican City…to name just a few!
Also St. Kitts and Nevis is not subject to any United States’ visa ban.
The expanded travel ban recently imposed by the United States may suspend issuance of visas for nationals of Nigeria. However, while St. Kitts and Nevis citizens must apply for travel visas to visit the United States, St. Kitts and Nevis citizens are not subject to these recent United States visa restrictions.
The St. Kitts and Nevis CBI Programme offers Nigerians a route to holding a St. Kitts and Nevis passport and to becoming a true global citizen.
9. How can those interested in the CBI programme get across to you or your team?
A: Our Management Team is very accessible. Contact us through our website www.thefairwaycondos.com. Email us or send us a message via WhatsApp:
carl@thefairwaycondos.com
donna@thefairwaycondos.com
hogarth@thefairwaycondos.com
