As a small island nation with a licensed on-road vehicle fleet of roughly 40,000 units, Dominica faces a persistent, structural drain on its foreign exchange reserves that ties directly to its reliance on imported fossil fuels for transport and power generation. In 2023 alone, the country spent US$56.3 million on imported mineral fuels and oils, US$52.26 million of which went to refined non-crude petroleum. Half of that total import bill funded land transport, with the remainder covering diesel-powered electricity generation—a massive expenditure for a small national economy that has only grown since new fuel price hikes took effect on March 30, 2026.
COMMENTARY: We just imported more ICE vehicles, now let’s electrify Dominica faster—not slower
