Dominica PM Roosevelt Skerrit discusses national developmental issues at Press Conference

The Prime Minister of Dominica, Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit highlighted about various developments that have been undertaken by the government during the press conference, held on Monday. The leader reiterated his commitment to continuing to make innovative steps, aiming to enhance the growth and development of the island nation. 

The press conference was also attended by other government officials, including, Deputy Prime Minister Irving McIntyre, Agriculture Minister Roland Royer and Housing Minister Melissa Poponne-Skerrit and several media personnel.    

The PM kicked off his address with a gratitude to United Airlines (UA) which on February 15 flagged off a non-stop flight connecting the Caribbean island-state with the United States of America. The flight, which took off from Newark, New Jersey, was given a water cannon salutation after it landed at the Douglas-Charles Airport in Roseau. The carrier is expected to operate the weekly-once flight on Saturdays to Dominica with its Boeing 737-700.

A ceremony was also held welcoming both the plane’s passengers and crew members and top officials of the government, including PM Skerrit and Tourism Minister Denise Charles-Pemberton, were also present.

In his speech at the press conference, Skerrit thanked the American airline “for a very clear demonstration of trust and confidence in Dominica’s economy and the opportunities which exist” in the country. He said an airline like UA would only come to a country if it felt there is an opportunity. 

“We appreciate the fact that they have recognized,” he said.

PM Skerrit thanks IADC’s Samuel Johnson

The PM also thanked the tourism minister and other government staff members for ensuring that they continued to engage with all airlines that the Dominican government wishes to have in the country. 

He gave a special thanks to Samuel Johnson, the chief executive officer of Dominica’s International Airport Development (IADC), for his contributions to the country’s expanding aviation sector which aims not only to connect Dominica with the outer world more but also to boost its economy. 

Prime Minister Skerrit said the Dominican-born Johnson took the responsibility to help Dominica to construct its new international airport (likely to be complete in 2026) and bolster its aviation sector despite moving to the US and his example showed that one could still play a defining role in the economic development of his/her country even by living overseas. 

“What we need is an intrinsic commitment and desire to the country and willingness to work together towards achieving this,” Skerrit remarked. 

Stressing that the UA flights will open new avenues of opportunities for Dominica, the prime minister said he discussed with one of the airline’s executives about ways of strengthening, expanding and deepening relationships since the goal is to have more UA flights coming into Dominica. The services will see a transition to the international airport from the current Douglas-Charles Airport once it is operational.  

PM Skerrit added that UA officials are also keen to engage with Dominica and deepen the ties more. He said their commitment was visible in their enthusiastic handling of the arrival of the inaugural flight on February 15 which characterizes the relationship and negotiations between Dominica and UA. 

“We are very grateful to them and look forward to the continued success of the flights into Dominica,” the PM said. 

PM Skerrit praises government’s commitment

PM Skerrit also reminded that it is because of the government’s serious commitment to improving the aviation infrastructure, including extending the runway at Douglas-Charles Airport and grooving its runway that these developments were being realized. 

He said despite the rising costs of administration, which is a worldwide concern, his government prioritized the extension of the runway. He said UA indicated that they would decide to start flights to Dominica once the runway was extended. The PM said the decision to extend the runway was dismissed by many as useless and would only lead to a wastage of money but the reality was the opposite. 

In the same breath, he also mentioned Dominica’s thrust on improving its hotel infrastructure. “When we were investing in hotel rooms partnering with developers to build hotels under the CBI (Citizenship by Investment) programme, people felt it was a wastage of money to have too many hotel rooms in Dominica. The reality now is that we don’t have too many hotel rooms in Dominica and need to increase them as people are coming and want to come to Dominica,” he said. 

PM Skerrit also said that he heard somebody saying that a financier expressed interest in visiting Dominica to look at opportunities it offers after seeing the news of UA starting a direct flight to Dominica, leaving the audience applauding. 

He said it was not the first time that a 737 aircraft landed in Dominica but it was the first time a commercial 737 did so which requires special and differential approval and hence it showed the significance of the development. He also said people were once cynical about planes landing in Dominica in the night but too has happened. 

Hoping that his government will be able to build on the confidence shown by the carrier to ensure that Dominica has a bright future, the PM also lauded the administration for making efforts towards economic progress – in the fields of infrastructure, energy and airport. 

PM Skerrit concluded his remarks on the topic saying the prime objective of the government is to create sustainable jobs and it is also his dream to see Dominicans who live in other countries return to their homeland for opportunities which are growing.