Carib Scope

标签： Dominica

多米尼克

  • LIVE: Disaster and You with the Office of Disaster Management 11th Aug 2026

    LIVE: Disaster and You with the Office of Disaster Management 11th Aug 2026

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  • Girlhood summer leadership bootcamp equips Dominican girls with skills for leadership and life

    Girlhood summer leadership bootcamp equips Dominican girls with skills for leadership and life

    After three weeks of immersive, skill-building programming, Dominica’s I Have A Right Foundation (IHARF) has successfully concluded its 2026 Girlhood Summer Leadership Bootcamp, a targeted initiative designed to boost adolescent girls’ confidence, expand their knowledge base, and nurture the leadership skills that will drive progress across the island nation.

    As a rights-focused non-profit, IHARF centers its core mission on youth empowerment, grassroots advocacy, accessible education, and holistic personal growth. The organization works to build inclusive, supportive environments where young people can gain the practical tools they need to emerge as active, impactful contributors to national development, explained IHARF Programme Manager Lucien Alexander.

    Running from July 20 through August 9, this year’s bootcamp rejected the structure of a traditional recreational summer camp in favor of a deep, hands-on developmental experience tailored to the unique needs of adolescent girls. The curriculum covered a far-reaching range of topics spanning every area of personal and professional growth, from individual wellbeing and healthy relationships to educational advancement, long-term career planning, and community leadership.

    Throughout the program, participants explored critical life skills including self-awareness, emotional intelligence, mental health maintenance, value alignment, sexual and reproductive health rights, basic first aid, and personal safety. They also built core interpersonal competencies, learning how to practice empathy, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes. Sessions focused on future readiness introduced girls to evidence-based goal-setting frameworks, time management strategies, foundational financial literacy, basic entrepreneurship principles, and structured career development planning. Digital citizenship modules addressed responsible online behavior, digital literacy for everyday life, and the evolving impact of artificial technology on daily and professional life. The final segment of the bootcamp centered specifically on leadership development, team collaboration, advocacy skills, and empowerment, encouraging each participant to identify and cultivate their innate leadership potential.

    Hands-on, active participation was the cornerstone of the bootcamp’s learning model. Girls developed skills through collaborative team-building challenges, interactive role-playing activities, facilitated group discussions, creative expression projects, vision boarding exercises, hands-on leadership challenges, public speaking practice, and guided reflection sessions. The initiative was supported by a diverse team of IHARF staff, trained volunteers, student interns, and industry professionals who shared their specialized expertise with participants, including Dr. Zoriah Telemaque, Beverly Leblanc, Marilyn Cuffy-Morris, Sergeant Urias Moses, Nichola James-Charles, Shirnon Telemaque, and Luana Laurent.

    The 2026 bootcamp concluded with a formal closing ceremony and family engagement session, where participants showcased the skills and knowledge they had gained over the three weeks and received formal recognition for their growth and progress. The event also included dedicated guidance for attending parents and guardians, covering key topics around adolescent developmental milestones, teen mental wellness, and the critical role of family support during the transitional teenage years.

    Alexander noted that the entire program was built around a core belief: young people do not need to wait until adulthood or hold formal positions of power to step into leadership roles. From the first session, participants were encouraged to recognize that they can drive meaningful positive change in their families, schools, and local communities starting at their current age.

    Looking ahead, IHARF confirmed that it will continue expanding investment in initiatives like the Girlhood Summer Leadership Bootcamp to nurture generations of confident, informed, socially conscious young women across Dominica. The organization remains committed to helping girls shape self-determined futures while making lasting, meaningful contributions to the ongoing development of the island nation.

  • Tourism minister reports 18% increase in visitor arrivals last year

    Tourism minister reports 18% increase in visitor arrivals last year

    The Caribbean island nation of Dominica has logged impressive gains in its tourism sector, with overall visitor arrivals climbing 18% in the most recently completed fiscal year, Tourism Minister Denise Charles-Pemberton confirmed during the 2026/2027 national budget debate held Friday.

    In total, the country welcomed 527,728 travelers across all categories during the 12-month period, marking the first time Dominica has crossed the half-million annual visitor threshold in recent years. “Half a million visitors reached Dominica in this fiscal year, Mr Speaker, and we have to be proud of that,” Charles-Pemberton told legislative members during her address.

    The strong growth was consistent across both key segments of the country’s tourism industry: overnight stayover visits and cruise ship calls. Stayover arrivals, a segment that drives greater long-term revenue for local accommodations, restaurants and small businesses, surpassed the government’s 100,000 annual target to hit 102,659 visitors, representing a 20% year-over-year increase. Cruise passenger arrivals also matched that 20% growth rate, totaling 416,719 cruise travelers docking at the island’s ports over the fiscal year.

    Charles-Pemberton noted that broad-based growth across all of Dominica’s core source markets underpinned the sector’s strong performance. The United States, Dominica’s largest source of stayover visitors, recorded 22% growth and accounts for 29% of the country’s total overnight visitor count. The French West Indies, the island’s second-largest market, saw a 13% rise in arrivals, while regional Caribbean travelers grew by 15% year-over-year. The United Kingdom posted a 9% increase, and the Canadian market delivered even stronger gains of 23%, according to the minister’s data.

    Beyond the tourism sector itself, Charles-Pemberton emphasized that the booming travel industry is a core driver of the country’s broader economic expansion, contributing significantly to Dominica’s projected 4.5% overall economic growth for the fiscal year.

  • LIVE: UWP Discussion on National Budget 2026/2027

    LIVE: UWP Discussion on National Budget 2026/2027

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  • Salisbury farmers need better roads and safer access, argues opposition leader

    Salisbury farmers need better roads and safer access, argues opposition leader

    A long-running infrastructure crisis that has crippled agricultural activity in Dominica’s Salisbury constituency is back in the national spotlight, as Opposition Leader and local Member of Parliament Jesma Paul-Victor has pushed the government for a holistic, long-term program to rehabilitate and maintain the territory’s network of farm access roads.

    Decades of inadequate road upkeep have created cascading harms for local agricultural producers, Paul-Victor explained during her address to parliament on the national budget. She laid out the all-too-common cycle facing Salisbury farmers: after investing months of backbreaking labor into clearing land, planting crops, and tending to harvests, many are unable to move their perishable fruits and vegetables to regional and national markets due to impassable rural roads after bad weather.

    These delays do not just amount to minor inconvenience, the opposition leader stressed. Perishable produce can spoil quickly when transport is held up, turning months of work into waste. The ripple effects of this persistent infrastructure failure extend far beyond individual farms, she noted, including lost household income for agricultural workers, squandered labor, reduced domestic food supplies for local communities, and forfeited opportunities to tap into profitable export markets.

    Paul-Victor rejected the common practice of only completing temporary pothole patching after heavy rainfalls as an insufficient solution. Instead, she called for a comprehensive engineering-focused approach to road improvements, including the installation of effective drainage systems, targeted slope stabilization in high-risk areas, long-lasting durable road surfacing, and scheduled routine maintenance to prevent roads from falling back into disrepair.

    Notably, she also urged that all new and upgraded agricultural infrastructure be designed with climate resilience in mind, built to withstand the more intense rainfall, severe flooding, and landslides that have become increasingly common amid global climate change. Frameed properly, Paul-Victor argued, upgraded farm roads are not just an infrastructure expense – they are a high-return economic investment that will cut transportation costs for farmers, slash costly post-harvest losses, and boost the take-home income for thousands of agricultural households across the constituency.

    Alongside road repairs, Paul-Victor also drew attention to another critical unaddressed infrastructure gap: hundreds of acres of productive farmland in Salisbury are currently only accessible by fording an unbridged river. While the crossing is passable during the dry season, it quickly becomes dangerous or completely impassable after even moderate rainfall, she explained. A single heavy storm can lock dozens of farmers out of their land for days, preventing them from tending growing crops, delivering fertilizer and new planting material, and collecting ready-to-harvest produce for market. In many cases, producers are forced to wait multiple days for water levels to recede before they can access their property, leading to further spoilage and lost sales.

    Beyond economic losses, the unbridged crossing creates a life-threatening safety hazard, Paul-Victor emphasized. Farmers are regularly forced to navigate rushing, rising waters while carrying heavy produce, farm chemicals, tools and heavy equipment, putting their lives at risk simply to access their own land. “Farmers should never be forced to choose between protecting their livelihoods and risking serious personal injury just to reach their fields,” she said.

    This lack of safe, reliable access adds another layer of economic and food security harm, mirroring the impacts of poor road conditions: reduced agricultural output, less available food for local consumers, and missed market opportunities for producers. Paul-Victor closed her address by calling on the national government to prioritize investment in resilient, farm-focused infrastructure across Salisbury to support the constituency’s critical agricultural sector.

  • Opposition leader highlights declining CBI revenue, warns of repercussions

    Opposition leader highlights declining CBI revenue, warns of repercussions

    As Dominica prepares its national budget for the coming fiscal cycle, Opposition Leader Jesma Paul-Victor has sounded a public alarm over a sharp ongoing decline in revenue from the island nation’s high-profile Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme, cautioning that the downward trend threatens core public development projects that have long depended on this funding stream.

    For decades, Dominica’s CBI initiative — which grants citizenship to foreign investors in exchange for qualified financial contributions — has been a cornerstone of the country’s development financing. Paul-Victor acknowledged the programme’s outsized positive contributions to the country’s growth over the years, noting it has enabled the government to deliver critical public assets ranging from new schools and hospitals to affordable housing, paved road networks, clean water distribution systems, and large-scale climate resilience infrastructure that protects communities against extreme weather events.

    Despite its track record of success, however, Paul-Victor warned that current revenue projections paint a worrying picture of steady decline. Data she presented during her official response to the government’s budget proposal shows the programme generated roughly $605 million in revenue in the last completed fiscal year. For the current fiscal cycle, the government has budgeted approximately $514.9 million in CBI revenue, marking a 15% drop from the previous year. Looking ahead to the 2027-2028 fiscal period, projections put CBI revenue at an even lower $474.8 million, extending the downward trajectory.

    This consistent decline carries serious risks for all major development initiatives that rely on CBI funding, Paul-Victor emphasized. Beyond the immediate budget challenges, she argued that the trend exposes a critical long-term vulnerability: Dominica’s growing over-dependence on a single revenue stream to power its national development.

    Drawing on lessons from global economic history, the opposition leader pointed to the risks that have plagued other small island developing states that relied too heavily on a single export or revenue source, from bananas and sugar to oil and tourism. No single economic pillar, she argued, can deliver consistent stable growth over the long term, and CBI is no exception.

    To address this vulnerability, Paul-Victor called for a strategic shift in how CBI revenue is used. Instead of directing most funds to one-off infrastructure projects, she argued that a growing share of CBI proceeds should be invested in building long-term productive capacity across multiple economic sectors that can drive sustained private sector growth. Ultimately, she said, Dominica needs to build a diversified, multi-pillar economy that includes agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, international financial services, digital industries, renewable energy, education services, innovation, and the creative economy — reducing the nation’s exposure to shocks from any single revenue stream’s decline.

  • Paul-Victor wants Dominica among Caribbean’s easiest places to start a business

    Paul-Victor wants Dominica among Caribbean’s easiest places to start a business

    As the Caribbean nation of Dominica debates its upcoming 2026-2027 national budget, opposition leader Jesma Paul-Victor has put forward a sweeping economic blueprint designed to position the country as one of the most business-friendly destinations in the Caribbean. Delivering her official response to the government’s proposed budget last week, Paul-Victor anchored the opposition’s alternative economic strategy around private sector growth, arguing that empowering local entrepreneurs is the key to unlocking long-term, sustainable development for the island.

    Paul-Victor emphasized that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of Dominica’s current economy, continue to grapple with a host of persistent barriers that stifle their growth. These challenges range from limited access to low-cost capital and skyrocketing operational overhead to lengthy bureaucratic delays for regulatory approvals and the inherent constraints of a small domestic consumer market. Without targeted policy intervention to address these pain points, she argued, the country will struggle to unlock its full economic potential.

    To reverse these trends, the opposition leader has outlined a series of concrete policy reforms. Key proposals include streamlining the business registration process to cut wait times for new ventures, rolling out fully digital systems for business licensing and permit applications, establishing clear, predictable timelines for all regulatory reviews, and expanding targeted support services for local exporters looking to access regional and global markets. Beyond regulatory reform, Paul-Victor is also calling for the expansion of low-cost development financing for small businesses, alongside dedicated support programs to spur local innovation and help existing firms scale up their operations.

    In outlining her vision, Paul-Victor stressed that the core responsibility of government is to cultivate an enabling environment where entrepreneurs can thrive. This, she argued, requires stripping away unnecessary bureaucratic barriers, simplifying outdated regulatory frameworks, and modernizing public services to meet the needs of a growing private sector. She pushed back against the current administration’s economic approach, noting that sustained national growth should not rely primarily on government spending and public contracts. Instead, she argued, future prosperity should be driven by the creativity, private investment, and entrepreneurial ambition of the Dominican people.

  • CDB pledges US$1 million to Venezuela earthquake recovery fund

    CDB pledges US$1 million to Venezuela earthquake recovery fund

    A devastating series of earthquakes that struck Venezuela in late June 2026 has prompted an outpouring of regional solidarity, with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approving a $1 million contribution to support the country’s recovery and reconstruction.

    The June 24 quakes left a tragic trail of destruction across multiple regions of Venezuela, claiming lives, forcing thousands of residents from their homes, and causing severe damage to critical public and private infrastructure. Just 48 hours after the disaster struck, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) moved quickly to establish a dedicated Venezuela Recovery and Reconstruction Fund, designed to centralize international donations and coordinate relief efforts in line with priorities set by the Venezuelan government. The fund is structured to provide a transparent, accountable framework for governments, multilateral institutions, and other partner organizations to channel support to recovery initiatives.

    CDB’s Board of Directors has formally approved the $1 million pledge, which will be deposited into CAF’s dedicated fund, the regional bank confirmed in an official press statement. For CDB, the contribution is more than just humanitarian assistance — it is a reaffirmation of longstanding regional ties and the importance of collective action when neighboring nations face crisis.

    “In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, the Caribbean Development Bank determined that we had to respond,” said CDB President Daniel M. Best. “Venezuela is a longstanding member of our institution and a country that has consistently and meaningfully supported the people and nations of the Caribbean over many decades. At this moment of profound loss and hardship, it is important that we stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Venezuela and provide support as they begin the challenging process of rebuilding.”

    Best praised the CDB Board of Directors for their swift approval of the contribution, noting that the partnership with CAF sets a powerful example of collaborative action among multilateral institutions during humanitarian emergencies. “Our collaboration with CAF through their recovery mechanism demonstrates how multilateral institutions can work together innovatively to respond effectively to humanitarian crises and support long-term recovery,” he added. “Equally important, this initiative provides an opportunity for the Bank to support a regional non-borrowing member in its time of greatest need, reaffirming that regional solidarity extends beyond traditional financing relationships.”

    CAF Executive President Sergio Díaz-Granados welcomed CDB’s landmark contribution, expressing hope that the pledge will encourage other international and regional partners to commit resources to the recovery effort. “We deeply welcome and thank the Caribbean Development Bank for this historic $1 million contribution to our Recovery and Reconstruction Fund,” Díaz-Granados said. “This contribution will directly support priority recovery efforts, and we hope it inspires other partners to join this collective endeavour. Our commitment is to ensure that every dollar entrusted to this Fund translates into tangible relief and lasting reconstruction for the Venezuelan people.”

    Venezuela’s CDB Governor, Ambassador Raúl Octavio Li Causi Perez, also extended gratitude for the show of regional solidarity. “As Governor of the Caribbean Development Bank for Venezuela, I wish to express our sincere appreciation to the Bank’s Board of Directors, its President, and all CDB member countries for this extraordinary demonstration of solidarity with the people of Venezuela,” Ambassador Li Causi Perez said. “This contribution reaffirms that regional cooperation and integration are at their strongest when they respond to moments of greatest need.”

    He added: “Venezuela deeply values this expression of confidence and support, which will contribute to the recovery and reconstruction of the affected communities. We receive it with gratitude and with the conviction that, together with our Caribbean partners and institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank and CAF, we will continue advancing a shared agenda founded on solidarity, resilience, and sustainable regional development.”

    Per CAF’s framework, the recovery fund will allocate financing across three core areas: immediate emergency and humanitarian aid for affected communities, restoration of critical essential services and damaged infrastructure, and long-term projects designed to boost recovery speed, reconstruction quality, and community resilience against future disasters.

  • Waitukubuli Artist Association wraps three-week artistic exchange between Dominica and Martinique

    Waitukubuli Artist Association wraps three-week artistic exchange between Dominica and Martinique

    A landmark cross-regional artistic exchange initiative has wrapped up its three-week run in Dominica, bringing measurable cultural, educational and collaborative gains to the island’s creative community. The Waitukubuli Artist Association (WAA), the organizer of the project, recently confirmed the successful completion of the Dominica-Martinique Residency, which hosted acclaimed Martinican visual artist Kevin Jérémie — known professionally as JKing — for a packed schedule of studio creation, community outreach and intercultural dialogue.

    Funded by the Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) and hosted in partnership with local accommodation provider Caapi Cottages, the residency centered its creative exploration on pressing and identity-defining themes shared across the Caribbean: climate resilience, extraordinary regional biodiversity, distinct cultural identity, and the deep ancestral connection between Caribbean people and their natural landscapes. Throughout his stay on the island, JKing balanced individual creative practice with collaborative engagement, working side-by-side with established local Dominican artists to exchange technical skills and creative perspectives.

    As part of the residency’s community-focused mission, JKing led a hands-on creative workshop for students at Soufrière Primary School, where he introduced young learners to new artistic techniques and encouraged them to explore their own creativity. Beyond the classroom, the visiting artist immersed himself in Dominica’s unique cultural heritage: he studied traditional Carnival costume construction from local artisans and traveled to Grand Fond to deepen his understanding of the island’s foundational Maroon history. Drawing direct inspiration from Dominica’s dramatic natural scenery, including its rushing rivers, lush rainforests and rugged Atlantic coastlines, JKing produced a body of entirely new work during his residency.

    The initiative has left multiple lasting creative legacies for the island. A permanent outdoor mural, created as part of the project, now stands near Caapi Cottages, serving as a public reminder of the cross-island collaboration. The residency also generated co-created art pieces involving both WAA member artists and the Soufrière Primary students, as well as a collection of sculptural works crafted from driftwood JKing and collaborators collected along Rosalie Bay.

    The workshop’s impact on young participants has been particularly notable, with educators and students alike expressing widespread enthusiasm. “I wish we did art like that every day,” one student told organizers, while another asked a teacher, “Can they come back tomorrow, Miss?” Sharing observations of the program, one local teacher noted: “The kids were actually asking me if they could do another painting. They were so engaged throughout the workshop, and it was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and creativity.”

    To extend the project’s reach beyond Dominica, JKing documented his entire experience through daily video blogs posted to his Instagram account, allowing followers across the Caribbean and global audiences to follow his creative journey and learn more about Dominica’s unique culture and natural beauty.

    WAA President Michael Lees emphasized that the residency is just one component of a growing regional collaborative network the association launched in 2025, alongside partner cultural organizations Twossaints, Station Culturelle, and Association Zofi based in Martinique and St. Lucia. Lees noted that early efforts at regional creative integration have already delivered tangible benefits for all participating islands. “Our Dominican artists have been able to see internationally renowned work in Martinique and had access to training, techniques and ideas we wouldn’t have otherwise,” Lees explained. “And likewise, artists from abroad like JKing have been able to come to Dominica and get inspired by the nature, the culture, and the spirit of collaboration present amongst our artists and our people.”

    Lees framed the initiative as an important early step toward building a connected cross-island creative economy, a model that has already delivered success in other Caribbean nations such as Jamaica. “We see this as opening opportunities both for artists, but also for the many others who will benefit from a strong Creative sector,” he said. “It all starts with education, so exposing schoolchildren to the arts is a central pillar of this mission.”

    Looking ahead, WAA is already developing the next phase of its regional collaborative work, with plans for additional reciprocal artist exchange programs, joint skill-building workshops, and a travelling exhibition showcasing work created through these cross-border partnerships. The association has expressed its sincere gratitude to the CCF for its ongoing support, noting that two additional collaborative projects are currently underway with funding from the organization. WAA also extended thanks to Caapi Cottages, participating schools, local community members, and all participating artists who contributed time, resources and expertise to make the residency a success.

  • Flow Dominica to retire legacy Cwdom.dm email domain in September

    Flow Dominica to retire legacy Cwdom.dm email domain in September

    Caribbean-based telecommunications provider Flow Dominica has announced that its long-running legacy email service, cwdom.dm, will be permanently shut down in stages between late August and the end of September 2026. The company has laid out a clear timeline for the wind-down to give existing users ample time to migrate their critical data and minimize disruptions to their personal and professional communications.

    According to an official press statement released by the firm, the first phase of the decommissioning process will launch on Monday, August 31. On this date, all cwdom.dm accounts will lose the ability to send outgoing emails. The second phase will follow two weeks later, on Tuesday, September 15, when the provider will stop routing incoming emails to legacy cwdom.dm addresses. By Wednesday, September 30, the entire service will be fully retired. After this final deadline, users will be permanently locked out of their accounts, with no option to recover stored messages or account data from the outdated platform.

    Francine Harve Jean-Jacques, Marketing and Communications Executive at Flow Dominica, explained that the phased wind-down was designed specifically to prioritize customer convenience. The decision to retire the service, she noted, was driven by the fact that the underlying infrastructure supporting cwdom.dm has reached the end of its operational lifespan. The aging platform can no longer meet the modern security, functionality, and reliability standards that contemporary email users expect from their service providers.

    “We understand that many of our customers have relied on their cwdom.dm email addresses for years, and this change may feel inconvenient,” Harve Jean-Jacques said. “That is why we structured this transition in stages: to give every user enough time to move their important contacts, emails, and other data without last-minute panic.” She added that the company’s top priority throughout the process is to ensure remaining users have access to clear guidance, dedicated support, and all the resources they need to complete their migration before the final shutdown date.

    Flow Dominica is urging all customers still using cwdom.dm email addresses to start their transition immediately, rather than waiting until the September 30 deadline to avoid permanent data loss. The company says it will be providing ongoing updates and support to help users switch to its current, modern email offerings or alternative third-party services as needed.