When a Grenadian government announces a new housing programme, a change to school fees or a decision on a hotel project, the announcement usually says "Cabinet has approved". Yet few people outside government know how Cabinet works, how a minister differs from a permanent secretary, or why a decision approved by Cabinet can still take months to show up on the ground.
This explainer maps the machinery of executive government in Grenada: who sits in Cabinet, how decisions are made, what the public service does, where statutory bodies fit, and what that means for anyone trying to get something done with government.
The Prime Minister and the Cabinet
Executive authority in Grenada is formally vested in the monarch and exercised through the Governor-General, but in practice it is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the member of the House of Representatives who commands the support of the majority, usually the leader of the winning party. The Prime Minister chooses the other ministers, who are formally appointed by the Governor-General.
Ministers must be members of Parliament, either elected members of the House or appointed senators. Appointing senators as ministers allows a Prime Minister to bring in people with particular expertise or to give a portfolio to someone who did not win a seat. The Attorney General, the government's chief legal adviser, is a member of Cabinet in most governments and may sit in either house.
Cabinet meets regularly, usually weekly, chaired by the Prime Minister. In a Parliament of fifteen elected members, a government with eight or nine seats will often have most of its elected members in Cabinet, which means the line between Cabinet and governing party backbench is thinner in Grenada than in larger parliaments.
How Cabinet decides
Cabinet papers. Ministries prepare written submissions setting out an issue, options and a recommendation. These are circulated in advance through the Cabinet Office.
Discussion and conclusions. Cabinet discusses the paper and records a decision, known as a Cabinet conclusion. Conclusions are confidential, though the substance of decisions is usually announced.
Collective responsibility. Once Cabinet decides, all ministers are expected to support the decision publicly. A minister who cannot accept a decision is, by convention, expected to resign.
The Cabinet Secretary. A senior public servant heads the Cabinet Office, records decisions, ensures they are communicated to ministries and tracks implementation.
Post-Cabinet briefings. Governments in Grenada commonly hold press briefings after Cabinet meetings to announce decisions. These are useful for following policy, though they report outcomes rather than the debates behind them.
Ministers and permanent secretaries
Each ministry has a political head, the minister, and an administrative head, the permanent secretary. The minister sets policy direction, represents the ministry in Cabinet and Parliament, and answers publicly for its performance. The permanent secretary is a career public servant who manages the ministry's staff, budget and operations, advises the minister and ensures that decisions are carried out lawfully.
The distinction matters. Ministers cannot legally direct individual public servants on matters such as hiring or disciplining staff, and permanent secretaries are expected to give frank advice even when it is unwelcome. Permanent secretaries are also usually the accounting officers responsible for how the ministry's money is spent, which means they answer to the Director of Audit and the Public Accounts Committee.
Portfolios are often combined. In a small government, a single minister may hold responsibility for several areas, for example infrastructure with physical development, or education with human resource development. Portfolio names and combinations change between governments and sometimes within a term, so it is worth checking the current allocation before writing to a ministry.
The public service and the Public Service Commission
The public service is the permanent staff of government: officers in ministries, departments and agencies, from clerks to senior technical specialists. The Constitution protects its independence through the Public Service Commission, which handles appointments, promotions, transfers and discipline of public officers. The aim is to prevent ministers from using public jobs as political rewards.
In practice, Grenada also relies on contract staff, temporary workers and special advisers appointed outside the regular public service, which gives governments more flexibility but has drawn criticism about patronage. Public sector wages and pensions are a large share of government spending, and public service reform, including performance management and digital government, has been a recurring theme across administrations.
Public servants are expected to serve whichever party is in office. Elections can still be anxious times inside the service, because contract and temporary positions are more exposed to changes of government than established posts.
Statutory bodies and state enterprises
A large part of government activity happens outside ministries, through statutory bodies created by Acts of Parliament. Examples include NAWASA for water, the Grenada Ports Authority, the Grenada Airports Authority, the Grenada Tourism Authority, the National Insurance Scheme, the Grenada Development Bank and the Grenada Investment Development Corporation, among others. Each has its own board, appointed largely by the government, and its own management.
Statutory bodies have more operational freedom than ministries: they can set fees within their legal powers, hire staff on their own terms and run commercial operations. Ministers usually set broad policy and appoint board members, while boards and managers run day-to-day affairs. Boards often change after an election, which can bring fresh direction but also disrupt continuity.
Practical tips for dealing with government
Identify the right body. Many services sit with a statutory body rather than a ministry. Approaching the wrong office is one of the most common causes of delay.
Put it in writing. Letters and emails to the permanent secretary or head of department create a record, which matters if you later need to escalate to the Ombudsman.
Cabinet approval is not the end. A Cabinet decision may still require legislation, budget allocation, procurement or regulations before it takes effect. Ask what stage a decision has actually reached.
Use your MP sensibly. Constituency MPs can help unblock problems, but formal applications still have to go through the proper channels.
Watch for changes after elections. A new government may reorganise ministries, rename portfolios and replace boards of statutory bodies. Applications in progress usually continue, but contacts and timelines can change, so confirm who now holds responsibility.
Follow the Gazette. Appointments, new regulations and official notices appear in the Government Gazette, which is the authoritative record of many executive decisions.
Money: how ministries are funded
Ministries spend money only as authorised by Parliament through the annual budget and Appropriation Act. The Ministry of Finance coordinates the estimates, negotiating with each ministry over its budget requests, and monitors spending through the year. Because the fiscal responsibility law sets limits on spending growth and debt, the Ministry of Finance often has a decisive voice over which approved policies are funded and when.
Large projects are frequently financed with external support: grants and loans from development partners such as the Caribbean Development Bank, the World Bank and bilateral donors, and in some years revenue linked to the citizenship by investment programme. Externally funded projects often have their own implementation units and procurement rules, which can speed some projects and slow others. For citizens, this explains why a project may be announced long before work begins: financing, design and procurement must all be completed first.
What outsiders often get wrong
Investors, new residents and foreign journalists often assume that a meeting with a minister settles a matter. Ministers can set direction and speed things up, but approvals usually require the work of public servants, statutory bodies and sometimes Cabinet, each with procedures that cannot simply be skipped. Equally, some assume that public servants are obstructive when they insist on documents or procedures; often they are applying rules they have no power to waive.
Another misconception is that Cabinet decisions are published in full. They are not; announcements summarise outcomes, and the papers behind them remain confidential. For detailed information, the published budget estimates, laws and regulations in the Gazette, audit reports and parliamentary debates are the most reliable public sources.
Frequently asked questions
How many ministers are in Grenada's Cabinet?
The size varies between governments, but Cabinet typically includes the Prime Minister and around a dozen ministers, drawn from elected MPs and appointed senators. The Attorney General usually sits in Cabinet. Ministers of state may also be appointed outside Cabinet.
What is a permanent secretary in Grenada?
A permanent secretary is the senior career public servant who heads a ministry's administration. They manage staff and budgets, advise the minister and are usually the accounting officer responsible for spending. Unlike ministers, they do not change when the government changes.
Can senators be ministers in Grenada?
Yes. The Constitution allows ministers to be drawn from either house of Parliament. Prime Ministers often appoint senators as ministers to bring in specialist expertise or to include people who did not stand for, or did not win, an elected seat.
Who appoints public servants in Grenada?
Public officers are appointed, promoted and disciplined by the Public Service Commission, an independent constitutional body, rather than by ministers. Contract staff and some advisers are engaged under separate arrangements, often by ministries or statutory bodies directly.
What does Cabinet has approved actually mean?
It means Cabinet has formally agreed to a policy or proposal. Implementation may still require legislation, money in the budget, procurement processes or regulations, so there can be a considerable gap between a Cabinet decision and visible change on the ground.
