Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has defended the government's supplementary estimates of about EC$248.5 million, arguing that the spending continues the administration's development record. He gave his full backing to the supplementary estimates and pointed in particular to an airport project as an example of the investment the country needs.
According to the government's case, the supplementary funding is directed at infrastructure, education, housing and renewable energy. Tourism and small business development are also listed among the priorities. Skerrit presented these areas as part of a broader effort to strengthen the economy and improve conditions for residents across the island, from Roseau to the outlying villages.
The airport project was highlighted in Skerrit's defence of the figures. The material available to Dominica 1 does not state the cost of that project or when it is expected to be completed, so those details cannot be confirmed at this stage. Douglas-Charles Airport is the country's principal air gateway, and any work on air links bears directly on the tourism sector that the government has named as a priority.
The full breakdown of how the EC$248.5 million will be allocated among these sectors has not been made public in the material available to this newsroom. The supplementary estimates will be examined in the House of Assembly, where members will have the opportunity to scrutinise the individual allocations before they are approved. Readers are advised to consult the detailed estimates once they are tabled.
Skerrit's remarks form part of a wider defence of the government's development record, presented as a case that spending on roads, schools, homes and clean energy is delivering for Dominicans at home and across the diaspora. The government has framed the supplementary budget as continuity rather than a change of direction.
At the time of reporting, no response from the opposition has been recorded in the material available to Dominica 1. The newsroom will update this report if further details of the allocation, the airport project, or parliamentary reaction become available.
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