Dominica PM looking to 'revive' island's economic independence

Last updated: October 17, 2017 at 16:19 pm

Dominica should be looking to a future where it does not depend on external relief to get by, the prime minister has said.

It is for this reason that time is being spend on recovery and rebuilding while relief efforts are still underway following the destruction brought by Hurricane Maria, he added.

Speaking on television and radio last night, Roosevelt Skerrit told the nation that his team is working to "restart our economy".

"We have to revive our economy so that we do not become dependent or addicted to food parcels," he said.

"That is not the kind of development we want."

He also announced plans to make Dominica more resilient against natural disasters in the future.

Housing plans

Among the plans are grants to be offered to small business and farmers, each one worth up to $10,000.

The grants will be phased into two or three parts, with the later parts dependent on appropriate use of the first part.

Skerrit said his administration is "working internally on the most effective and fastest way of delivering these grants".

In order to protect the country in the future, the prime minister announced that funding has been set aside for 1,000 disaster-resistant homes.

"We will finance a further 1,000 disaster-resistant homes from the proceeds of our Rain Forest Restoration Bond and related financial instruments," Skerrit said.