Published 10 June 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Contract Signing For The New Dominica International Airport Set
After decades of groundwork and a series of postponements, the Dominica International Airport is finally ready to take off.
On Sunday, Dominica Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit announced that his government is slated to sign a contract on June 9 with a UAE-based consultancy firm to officially begin the construction and the development of the highly-anticipated airport.
“We’re officially signing an agreement with Montreal Management Consultants Est. (MMCE) to begin the construction of the International Airport,” Skerrit announced at his weekly “Annou Pale” talk show.
MMCE has been at the forefront of a number of housing development and infrastructure projects in Dominica since 2016 that were funded by the nation’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. The new airport will also be primarily financed by the same investment programme.
The contractual agreement was revised and approved by the Cabinet last month.
Key Developments
“In the past year we settled on a site in Wesley and acquired the property through careful negotiations with land and property owners in the area,” Skerrit said. Wesley is a coastal village in north-eastern Dominica.
Mrs. Missi Henderson, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, who joined this week’s episode with PM Skerrit, seconded Skerrit about the handling of the land issues in the vicinity.
Henderson said that the government is now at “86% in terms of negotiations,” and that the affected families were given options by the local government, either with monetary compensation or an agreement called “swapping.”
“It’s when the government would build [houses] for them,” she said.” In this setup, Henderson explained, the homeowners are consulted about the design and their homes.
PM Skerrit also announced in the recent episode of the show that his government has created the International Airport Development Company (IADC) with a “fully appointed board of directors.”
Mr Samuel Johnson, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the IADC and who also joined in the recent episode, said that his team has been in discussion with other stakeholders including American firm Landrum and Browne for the designs of Dominica’s new airport.
“We are not designing and developing an airport for next year or the next 5 years, we are building out for the next 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years,” noted Johnson.
He added that there has been “a lot of considerations for waterways, waterworks, valleys and the like to be able to get the platform to the specifications that are required according to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).”
“It is important for us as people to be united in this project, which I believe will help transform the economic landscape of the country,” PM Skerrit said, highlighting tourism and agriculture as the two sectors that will primarily benefit from the newest project.
Project consultant Dr Collin Mc Intyre, who was also part of the roundtable discussion, agreed and pointed out the benefits of the international airport when it comes to exports of agricultural produce from Dominica.
The plan for the international airport in Dominica is probably the longest-running proposal in the region, which already marked its 50th anniversary in July 2020.
In an earlier statement, Prime Minister Skerrit said that the government is optimistic that the international airport will benefit all sectors of the economy especially if Dominicans will play their part as the country undertakes this massive investment.
“My prayer is that we can all play our part in this country to ensure that dream of the international airport is realized… this project will help define in large measure the future prosperity of our country Dominica.”
The ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) has carried the ambitious airport plan in its platform since coming to power in 2000.
