Bryan to Africa; $10M in Tax Refunds; Shutdown Ending

M.A. Dworkin

 St. Thomas - Governor Albert Bryan Jr. will become the first USVI Governor and the first Governor of African descent to visit Ghana while in office. The Governor will lead an official Government of the Virgin Islands delegation to Accra, Ghana, from November 22nd to Nov. 30th, 2025, to advance trade, tourism, cultural and technology partnerships with West Africa.   

The Governor said at the Monday November 10, 2025 Press Briefing at Government House St. Thomas, the visit is designed to produce practical outcomes for Virgin Islanders while honoring shared history.  

The delegation includes senior representatives from the Department of Tourism, the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA), and the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network (viNGN).

“Ghana is not just a heritage destination for Virgin Islanders. It is a potential partner for trade, tourism, finance and technology. This delegation is about turning shared history into shared opportunity,” Governor Bryan said. “We have sent official delegations to Denmark for years. That history matters and we will continue to honor it, but we also must be just as intentional about our ties to West Africa, where so many of our family ancestry is from. Both stories are part of who we are.

“This is a working trip. Tourism will talk about routes and experiences. The EDA will pursue investment and free zone opportunities; viNGN will explore digital connectivity and fintech. We want partnerships that put Virgin Islanders to work and create value in both directions,” the Governor said. “When we recognized African Heritage Week and African Liberation Day early in my tenure, we made a promise to connect our culture to our future. This visit keeps that promise by linking education, culture and business with concrete actions.”

In 2019, months after taking office, Governor Bryan issued an Executive Order (EO) recognizing African Heritage Week and African Liberation Day as May 25 each year in the Territory. 

The official USVI delegation’s agenda in Accra is expected to include meetings with leaders at the Ghana Free Zones Authority; engagements with Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare; senior leadership of the Bank of Ghana; and a meeting with His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. The delegation will also visit the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, tour Osu Castle and meet community and business leaders in the Osu neighborhood. This outreach builds on years of people to people links between the Virgin Islands and Ghana through cultural exchanges and heritage observances.        

Over the years, Virgin Islands delegations and cultural groups have taken part in Emancipation commemorations and related exhibits in Ghana, highlighting the VI-Ghana connection and it is the intent of the Governor’s official visit to continue to build on those ties.

$10M in Income Tax Refunds Issued

The Governor also announced that he has directed the Director of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Commissioner of Finance to begin issuing up to $10 million in income tax refunds. 

“As the federal government shutdown drags on, we are watching Washington closely and keeping an equally close eye on the impacts here at home,” Governor Bryan said. “It is not only SNAP recipients who are feeling this. Families, seniors, veterans, small business owners and federal employees are making hard choices. Getting these refunds out now provides real help with essentials and a little more breathing room before Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

In this batch, refunds will be issued to 3,228 tax filers who are due a refund and filed their returns by March 21, 2024. Refunds will begin going out on Thursday November 20, 2025. The Governor thanked the teams at the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the department of Finance for their steady work verifying returns and moving payments as quickly as possible during a challenging period. 

This latest issuance follows a July 2025 disbursement of $15.7 million in income tax refunds to more than 3,700 Virgin Islanders and brings the cumulative amount paid in tax refunds under the Bryan-Roach Administration to $435 million. 

“From the start, we set a clear marker to get current on income tax refunds,” the Governor added. “We are not all the way there yet, but we are moving to meet that commitment. Our goal is simple: pay what is owed, do it correctly and do it as quickly as we can, while looking out for the Virgin Islanders who need the most support as this shutdown continues.”

Shutdown Ending 

“Our fingers are definitely crossed about us getting something through the Senate and House this week,” Gov. Bryan referred to the federal government shutdown that had become the longest in history. “But if not, I’ll call a State of Emergency and issue the SNAP payment, the second SNAP payment, by next week.”

Locally, the USVI government paid out $2.77 million to SNAP beneficiaries to cover the lapse in federal government payouts. In doing so, the USVI became one of only six jurisdictions to cover the shortfall by using local funds.

The shutdown, which is reaching a controversial end, with eight Democratic Senators breaking ranks and taking the Republican deal, which does not include an extension to Affordable Care Act subsidies, has caused chaos and hardship in many ranks as both aisles of government seemed to turn a blind eye to the plight of many who suffer when the Democrats and Republicans jockey for political gain.