Roseau North MP Ashma McDougall prioritises housing, jobs and small business development

Dominica: Newly elected Roseau North Parliamentary Representative Ashma McDougall has outlined housing, youth employment and small business development among her key priorities as she begins work following her September 7 by-election victory.

Speaking during her first interview since being elected, McDougall said her leadership would centre on inclusivity and community participation and stressed that development cannot be driven by the parliamentary representative alone.

“My leadership style is about leading with people, not simply leading for people,” she said and added that she is not interested in determining who residents supported during the election but rather in what they can contribute to the constituency.

McDougall said she has already begun discussions with improvement committees and other stakeholders and intends to engage single mothers, elderly residents, business owners, sporting groups and community organisations.

She also confirmed that work has already started on some smaller constituency concerns which includes street lighting in areas where residents identified missing or inadequate lights.

According to McDougall, requests were made to the relevant authorities even before she was elected with areas requiring new lights subsequently identified for attention.

She described such interventions as “low-hanging fruits” which can sometimes be addressed quickly through improved communication between representatives and government agencies.

Housing among major concerns

McDougall identified housing as one of the most significant challenges raised across communities in Roseau North.

She said some households require major intervention while others need smaller repairs but stressed that housing must also be considered alongside sanitation, drainage, road access and other public health and safety concerns.

She further added that her approach would be needs-based, evidence based and informed by communities while taking into account vulnerable households, health and safety risks as well as the numbers of people affected.

The parliamentary representative also acknowledged that limited resources mean every problem cannot be addressed simultaneously.

She said that her aim is to establish a transparent programme of work separating immediate interventions from longer-term projects while maintaining continuous communication with residents.

Remote work pilot proposed for Roseau North

During the interview, she also featured youth unemployment and underemployment as the main issues and said that one group of young people already possesses qualifications and skills but struggles to find suitable employment locally which creates an opportunity to connect residents with jobs in the digital economy.

McDougall said she is particularly interested in piloting a Work Online Roseau North programme which would seek to connect qualified residents with remote employment opportunities.

She argued that a person’s physical location should no longer completely determine their employment prospects and said remote work could particularly benefit qualified Dominicans who return home and find limited opportunities matching their skills.

For young people who left the education system without qualifications, McDougall said a different approach is required through skills development, certification and practical training.

She pointed to the Centre of Excellence as an avenue through which Roseau North residents could develop marketable skills in areas such as agriculture, agro-processing, tourism and hospitality. However, McDougall stressed that training must lead to actual economic opportunities rather than simply participation in programmes.

Business Support Desk planned

Another major initiative proposed by McDougall is the establishment of a Business Support Desk within the Roseau North constituency office.

She revealed that more than 300 micro and small businesses were identified in Roseau North during a business mixer held as part of her campaign but said many remain informal or unregistered.

She explained that lack of formalisation can prevent entrepreneurs from accessing financing and other support.

The proposed desk would help entrepreneurs navigate business registration, financial record-keeping, financing and existing support programmes.

McDougall said it could also assist business owners seeking access to the government's $19 million credit facility at the AID Bank.

However, she stressed that “finance alone is not enough” and argued that entrepreneurs also require technical support, mentorship and training in areas such as cash flow, pricing, marketing and record-keeping.

McDougall said she ultimately wants Roseau North to develop through stronger collaboration between residents, government, businesses and community organisations.

“I am really ready to work with everyone, and by everyone I mean everyone genuinely,” she said in her closing message and added that political differences should not prevent residents from contributing ideas toward the development of Roseau North and Dominica.