Dominica PM Skerrit to receive honorary degrees on Oct 16

Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Duquesne University on Tuesday, October 16.

University President Ken Gormley will confer the honorary degree upon Skerrit in the Power Center's Charles J. Dougherty Ballroom. Following the degree presentation, Skerrit will deliver the Integrity of Creation Leadership Address, Building Climate Resilient Countries.

In 2017, Skerrit and the government established the Climate Resilient Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD), a task force designed to hurricane-proof the island. Dominica has been striving towards becoming the world's first climate-resilient nation since it suffered catastrophic damage by Hurricane Maria in 2017, Tropical Storm Erika in 2015 and numerous other storms.

"The mission of CREAD is to "coordinate all reconstruction work to avoid duplication, maximize economies of scale, spot and fill critical gaps, avoid bureaucratic infighting and ensure all reconstruction activities are focused on a single Climate Resilient Recovery Plan developed by Dominica and its partners," Skerrit was quoted by a news agency.

He also said that the agency will reorganize public officers by "exposing them to new technologies and systems in engineering design, project management and procurement to increase their efficiency and effectiveness."

Dominican Prime Minister's address is co-sponsored by the Center for African Studies and the Presidential Conference on the Integrity of Creation.

Caribbean nation's Prime Minister will discuss how you rebuild and reconstruct in a manner that makes a country resilient to these catastrophes and these natural disasters," said Dr Gerald Boodoo, director of the Center for African Studies.

In 2004, at the age of 31, Roosevelt Skerrit became the world's youngest head of government, when he was sworn in as Prime Minister after the untimely passing of his predecessor Pierre Charles.

Skirrit was reappointed in 2005, 2009 and 2014. The political leader of the Dominica Labour Party, has been a member of Parliament for the Vielle Case constituency since 2000. He had previously served as chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and chairman of the Caribbean Community.