By Staff Writer
ROSEAU, Dominica, Dec 15, CMC – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Monday said the construction of the multi-million international airport will not present a “burden” to future generations, and construction progress to date “reflects steady and measurable advancement across all major workstreams”.
Dominica’s new international airport, located at Wesley, north east of here, is a major infrastructure project with an estimated cost of over one billion EC dollars, primarily funded through the country’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.
Under that programme, foreign investors are granted citizenship of Dominica in return for making a substantial investment in the island’s socio-economic development.
Skerrit told reporters that this year marked a significant advancement in the construction of the airport, “one of the most important national development projects in Dominica’s history, which will define our economic future.
“We are building an airport to unlock opportunities for trade, investment, education, and direct global access. We are building it so that our young people can dream bigger. We are building it so that Dominica can stand confidently among developing nations with first-class, modern infrastructure.”
He told reporters that as at December 12, this year, construction progress reflects steady and measurable advancement across all major workstreams, with total backfilling at 88.6 per cent complete, total excavation stands at 83.4 per cent complete, and the runway construction to formation level has reached 2,616 linear metres, representing 91.8 per cent completion.
Skerrit said that building foundations are 85 per cent complete, with the superstructure works having commenced and are 30 per cent complete, adding “the project remains on schedule for completion in 2027.
“Importantly, the project continues to deliver strong local economic benefits. Four hundred and five Dominican workers are currently employed on site, reinforcing our commitment to local labour and community participation,” he said.
Dominica is building the international airport managed by MMC Development Limited, and Skerrit said that he is certain that the repayment of facility will not be a “burden” on the future generations of Dominica.
China Railway is the main contractor for the international airport, and in July, as he delivered the national budget, Finance Minister Dr. Irving McIntyre said that the government had, to date, paid over EC$45 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) in compensation to 235 property owners, and 47 new homes have been constructed, with 31 built directly by the government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Skerrit said his administration “notes with deep concern” calls from the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), other opposition groups, and certain environmentalists for a shutdown of quarrying operations at Deux Branches.
“It is suggested that the quarrying should take place somewhere else that does not affect the environment. But there is no recommendation for where “somewhere else’ should be, Skerrit said.
He said the government also “notes with deep appreciation, the call from the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association for ‘communication, compliance, collaboration and shared responsibility’ in working with stakeholders “to ensure that growth does not come at the cost of Dominica’s natural heritage.
But he said that the international airport is being built for the benefit of the people of Dominica and will serve every sector of our economy, including tourism, agriculture, trade, and every small business.
“Naturally, such a project requires construction material. The central issue, therefore, is not whether material will be used. It must be.”
Skerrit told reporters that the real question is “should Dominica import millions of tons of aggregate from another country, damaging the natural environment of other people, while preserving ours untouched?
“Or should we responsibly use a small portion of our own resources to build an international airport that is essential for our children’s future?”
He said to import aggregate would mean transferring the environmental impact to another developing country and taking “no responsibility for the unavoidable ecological footprint of our own development” as well as exposing Dominica to unnecessary costs and unpredictable delays.
Prime Minister Skerrit said that no responsible government can justify exporting the environmental burden to another nation while refusing to utilise resources available at home, especially for a project that is national in scope and designed to uplift our own people.
“Government’s approach is clear and principled: Use local material where feasible, economically responsible, and environmentally manageable, ensure all quarrying and excavation activities comply fully with the Physical Planning Act, including EIAs, mitigation systems, and continuous monitoring, as well as enforce strong sediment-control, rehabilitation, and environmental safeguards so that development and environmental protection proceed together and pause or adjust operations immediately where impacts exceed acceptable thresholds.
“To be clear, responsible, regulated extraction for a national development project is fundamentally different from reckless exploitation of the environment. The government’s obligation is to strike a balance in which we protect Dominica’s natural heritage while building the infrastructure our country urgently needs.
“So, the choice is not between development and the environment. The choice is between responsible use of our own resources and exporting the environmental cost to another country while undermining our own development.”
Skerrit insisted that his government “chooses responsibility, sustainability, and national progress.
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