Trafalgar Basketball Facility a gamechanger for youth, fitness and community life: PM Skerrit 

Dominica: During the official commissioning ceremony of the Trafalgar Basketball Facility, Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit described the project as a major investment in community development, youth empowerment and national wellness.

He said that this government has been a major champion for youth and sports development in Dominica and emphasised that the upgraded facility represents a major improvement over what previously existed at the same location.

While addressing everyone present, the Dominican leader highlighted Trafalgar’s long-standing reputation for basketball excellence and expressed his utmost confidence that this community in Dominica would make full use of the new court not only for competitions but also for daily physical activity and healthy living.

The Prime Minister encouraged people of all ages across the island nation to use the facility for exercise and wellness and noted that physical activity plays a major role in managing non communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and also supports mental and physical wellbeing.

Speaking on wider development in the Roseau Valley, PM Roosevelt Skerrit outlined major ongoing and upcoming investments including geothermal energy, tourism support, housing and infrastructure upgrades.

He noted that the geothermal project is expected to come on stream this year and acknowledged temporary conveniences such as road damage. He further assured residents that the entire roadway through the valley will be fully resurfaced.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the ongoing cable car project and described it as transformative for employment, economic activity and livelihoods in the Roseau Valley. He expressed his strong expectations that it will become a major attraction for both visitors and Dominicans.

“I can assure you that nine and a half out of ten people who will come to Dominica will want to go on the cable car,” outlined PM Skerrit.

He stressed that development brings short term challenges but long-term benefits and encouraged residents to focus on solutions rather than obstacles. Prime Minister Skerrit emphasized that the Trafalgar Basketball Facility now belongs to the community and called on residents and local authorities to protect and maintain it while discouraging vandalism.

“We must guard against temptations of vandalism, uh, because if you destroy this, then you're going to deny somebody else an opportunity, because we're going to have, have to waste money to fix it. And that's, that's the challenge we see in many parts of the, of the country, where we, we, we put things in place and people vandalize it, and then they expect government to come to fix it. And, and not recognizing that we're robbing ourselves of greater development, because monies that should be spent to build on what we have built up, built so far, we must use the money to fix things,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to the Caribbean Development Bank and the Basic Needs Trust Fund for their long-standing partnership in Dominica’s development and acknowledged the leadership of local representatives and project champions who ensured the facility was completed

He also reaffirming the government’s commitment to continued investment in the Roseau Valley and officially handed over the facility to the people of Trafalgar describing it as a symbol of progress shared responsibility and community pride.