By GIS Dominica
ROSEAU, Dominica – Prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit stated that the government has laid the groundwork in 2021 for many developments in 2022, noting that various sectors will continue to see investments as Dominica continues to fight the pandemic and revive its economy.
One of the major projects which started in 2021 is the development of the long-awaited international airport. Prime minister Skerrit stated that advancements have been made, and the contract for the construction of the airport should be signed at the end of January.
“By the end of this month, we will sign the contract for construction of the international airport to begin. Already we have cleared land for the construction of access roads, a lab for in house soil and material testing is complete and 31 new homes at Wesley are nearly ready to move into. The project is a key undertaking for this government and the people of Dominica; because the international airport has the potential to transform the economy of our country and place it on a progressive path to development for the benefit of current and future generations,” Skerrit stated.
The housing sector will also expand as government continues its goal to build 5,000 resilient homes for needy citizens. In 2021, the continuation of the government’s housing programme saw keys handed over to additional families in Cochrane, Kalinago Territory, Castle Bruce and Colihaut.
Prime minister Skerrit explained that approximately one thousand homes will be built in 2022 as part of the housing revolution.
“Under the Housing Recovery Project, 420 homes will be built, with 103 homes currently under construction. As we speak, approximately 100 homes are being built and contracts were signed a few weeks ago for the construction of 27 additional ones. And we are expecting to see the construction of up to 1,000 homes during this year 2020 as part of government’s Housing Revolution,” the prime minister noted.
The government is set to move ahead with housing developments in Paix Bouche, Roseau Valley, Woodford Hill, Eggleston, Soufriere, Scotts Head, Pointe Michel, Canefield, Grand Bay and Dubique in 2022.
The health sector will also see developments during 2022, as the government continues investing in health infrastructure around the island.
“With new facilities set to open this month going into February in Newtown, Bagatelle, Penville, Anse de Mai, Soufriere and Colihaut, the government continues to strengthen the primary health sector infrastructure. All of these health centres are complete and some of them are even occupied by the nurses and providing care to residents in those health districts,” Skerrit went on to say.
The onset of the pandemic has critically impacted small businesses around the island. Skerrit noted that funds have been sourced by government to continue to assist these small businesses to recuperate and build back.
“We have finally finalized the $30 million loan agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for on-lending to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) in Dominica. The negotiation took a little longer with lots of documents to sign, lots of documents to review, but it is here nonetheless and we have received the first tranche of the funds from the CDB. I am pleased to report that these funds will be made accessible on very concessionary terms to our business owners whose operations we know have taken a hit from this pandemic,” Skerrit stated.
He went on to say that: “As minister for finance, I found it fitting that these monies should go towards assisting businesses to get back on their feet, recoup their losses and rebuild for their future. Certainly, this is great news for our business community and the plan to sign the agreement with the AID Bank to manage the lending of these funds on behalf of the government of Dominica.”
